PMD: The Twilight Brigade Chronicles
by Artomis
Summary: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. A boy named Artomis gets turned into a Riolu and can only hear light whispers of his past. He joins with Cyrus, a Kadabra and Zaphiel, a Pikachu of the Twilight Brigade to find the answers to his now painful existence.
1. Ch1 Uncertainty

_**A/N: **_**Well, it's been a while since I've done pretty much anything on here, hell, I had to even scrounge through all my crap to find my account info on here _ **

**Anyway, This is my own story line, but I don't own Pokemon, Mystery Dungeon, or any of the characters in this story. I hope you all enjoy it and leave a review, even if it's negative, I can take the heat :P**_  
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**Chapter One: ** -- **Uncertainty**

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_ "Just trust me, I'll set things right... I swear it."_

_"Don't go! Oh please, don't do it!"_

_ "...I'm sorry... but I have to do this... I will always..."_

_"NO! ARTOMIS!"_

_---_

A bright blue flash. That's all that he could see, and hell, he didn't even have his eyes open. His body felt stiff, every muscle burned, and he could hardly even get a breath in at times.

*nudge nudge* "...Hello?"

_ ...ugh... who...?_

"Hey, are you okay?"

_ ...Where... am I...?_

"What's this? Oh, it moved! its eyes are..."

_ ... I'm gonna need to try harder... at least find out who these people are... _Using all the energy he could gather, Artomis opened his eyes a little. He could see a gold blur and a yellow blur above him, but could make no sense on who or even what they were.

"He doesn't look hurt... I wonder why he's out..."

"I think he was hit by a sleep seed. Would that do it?"

"...No, not like this..."

_ ...Damn... I must hold on... I feel... Ohh... _

"Damn! He's out again! We need to help him! get him to the base!"

---

_ "...NO! ARTOMIS!"_

With a start, Artomis sat up from where he lay, his eyes open wide. He couldn't see anything but a blue light and his head hurt severely, but nothing that would prevent him from figuring out what had just happened to him. He felt a hard dizzy spell and fell back over on the bed, but only a little too hard and completely rolled off the side, hitting his head on the wooden frame. After coping with every burning sensation in his body, he finally could hear something rouse from the corner. Artomis crouched low and waited for whatever it was to reveal itself. _Quite the day I'm having already... Now if only I could remember how I got into this mess in the first place..._

"It's alright. I won't hurt you. Just so you know, you might want to take it easy for a while... You've been out for nearly two weeks."

Artomis regained his footing and stood up straight. He was in no shape to do anything right now... He felt like he just went to hell and back three times over. _Wait... TWO WEEKS?!_

"...Why yes, but I find it odd, you had no injuries and it seems you had no toxins from seeds or poison... What could have done this to you?"

Taking a step back, Artomis began searching the room for the source of the voice frantically. _He can read my mind! What the hell?! ...Wait... hmm... no... I can't remember anything... What happened to me...? Why can't I... AGH! _Artomis fell on his knees and wrapped his hands around his head as a blue flash hit his conscious again. He fell on his hands and knees and began panting heavily as the pain started to dissipate almost as suddenly as it had came. For some reason, the blue blur seemed to stay fresh in his mind, though weaker than what had just happened.

"...Are you okay?! Can you hear me?!"

Looking up, Artomis could see what looked to be a green Pikachu, but he figured it was truly yellow thanks to his new painful "blue-vision" he had. _...Wait... did that Pikachu... Just talk...?_

"Yeah, he did. It's not a surprise you understand him, most Pokémon speak the same form of dialect. Now, are you alright?"

Recovering to where he at least had his body upright, Artomis looked at the Pikachu and gave a fake smile. "...Yeah... I'm fine..."

"Good. I'm glad, but worried. Do you remember who you are?"

Artomis could finally pin-point where the voice was coming from. He looked up on the bed he was leaning against and saw a Kadabra laying on it, its hand lying on the bed just above his head. "Yeah, I'm Artomis... Now may I ask who you two are and how I can understand the two of you Pokémon?"

The Kadabra and Pikachu looked at each other funny, but then looked back at Artomis. He felt like he had said something wrong, but he didn't know why. "Well..." Kadabra started, "Pokémon can usually talk with other Pokémon, correct? So what reason is there not for you to speak it?"

"Well, for starters, I'm not a Pokémon."

Pikachu let out a gasp and looked up at Kadabra. Kadabra returned his glance and shook his head. "Well, I don't know what knocked your head funny, but you should really look at yourself and see what we mean..." With a flick of his wrist, Kadabra held out his spoon to Artomis.

With a sigh, Artomis reached out to grab the shiny object, but even on his reach he could tell. For one thing, he didn't have a thumb anymore and his arm was all blue and furry with a white plate on his forearm. Slowly, he grabbed the spoon, fearing on what he would see. He shined the spoon in front of his face and stared at the Riolu starring back at him. "...This... is me...?"

"Who else could it be? It's not like I have the power to do illusions"

The Pikachu turned to him with a slight frown. "...but you can do that..."

"Hush now... Well, now that you know what you truly are, you know the reason to our speech. As for your other question, my name is Cyrus. The Pikachu to your right is Zaphiel." Artomis smiled at Zaphiel, who returned the kind gesture. "Now, what can you remember?"

Thinking hard for a moment, Artomis could vaguely remember a voice, but not what it had said... "Well... I heard a... ugh... a voice..." Artomis could feel it building again. His head began to throb lightly and the blur vision began to return.

"Well?" Cyrus asked. Artomis looked at him, fully missing the question. "What did it say?"

"...I... I don't know... I'm sorry... but you'll have to excuse me..." Artomis said, standing up. He stood for a moment, regaining his ground as he noticed the two Pokemon staring at him. He looked at the door way and decided just to go. He began jogging to it and once he hit the hallway, he burst into a dash. He didn't know where he was going or why, all he knew was he wanted to figure everything out and get rid of this damn headache.

"Artomis!" Zaphiel called out as he ran to the doorway.

"...Let him go, Zaph... Let him find his own path right now... I'll have Whirlwind keep an eye on him for me if he leaves here."

"...Are you sure? He might pass out again..."

"If he does, we'll go rescue him. It'll be the first mission since we built this base."

Zaphiel gave a small nod. "Alright... I trust you... I hope he finds an answer..."

---

It took him a while, but he finally found the exit to that confusing place. It was pretty big despite its small castle appearance from outside. Artomis only took a second to rest his feet when another spike hit. He grabbed his head in agony as the pain built. _What the hell is wrong with me?! _After a few more moments of terror, the pain started to dissipate again. Artomis didn't move for a few minutes after that, first for not having the energy right away to heave his limb body off the ground again and second, for fear of the blue-vision to return. After about five minutes, he sat up and looked ahead. He was sitting at the edge of a wide forest.

_ ...What to do, what to do... Who knows what I'll find here... but it will at least give me time alone to sort things out..._

The outer edge of the forest seemed quite nice really. He could hear the occasional Pidgey and Weedle every now and again, but it was calm. _Wow... your perspective in nature really changes when you're on a Pokemon's point of view..._ Actually being able to hear what the Pokémon were saying instead of just their call was still quite new to him.

"AHH! HELP!"

"What...? That was close by..."

"GET AWAY! OUCH! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Turning sharply to his left, he saw down a tunnel was a cornered bird against a big snake. _A Seviper attacking a Starly? Why is it doing that...?_ Art dashed ahead and entered the room, poking the snake. "What do you think you're doing?"

The Starly turned towards Art, a look of fear in its eyes. He felt that it wasn't about the snake-villain, though... there was another reason for the look...

"Think fassst, pipssssqueak!" Lashing its tail out, the Seviper knocked Art against the rocky wall. He let out a yelp of pain as he fell to the ground, stunned. "That'ssss it? What a shhhhame..."

Looking up dazed, Art saw the foe raise his tail and ready his final blow when Art began to feel the pressure build in his head. _No... not right now... I've... I've got to fight back... _A spike of pain shot through his head and this time, he couldn't take it, he let out a yell, causing both the Seviper and Starly to flinch. He felt his arms move to his side, but couldn't really control them or even see them. All the blue-vision allowed him to see was the outlines of the other two in the room. His arms thrust foreword, and at that same moment, the blue haze seemed to dissipate rapidly from his body. As his vision cleared, he saw a motionless snake about 5 feet from where it had originally stood and a shocked Starly, staring at him with its beak wide open.

"Well... I guess you didn't need us after all..."

Artomis jumped slightly as he finally realized whose voice that was. "...Cyrus... Zaphiel... Hi..." He said, just before falling onto the ground, face first.

"On second thought, maybe he did." Zaphiel sighed and ran up next to him, making sure the fall didn't break his muzzle or anything. Once Cyrus made it in front of Artomis, Zaphiel burst out into laughter. Cyrus gave him a questioning look, so Zaphiel tried to calm down. "Sorry... it's just that we never got to say hello back to him before he already grows tired of us!"

Cyrus started at Zaphiel blankly for a moment, and then rolled his eyes. "Just help me get him back to the base, we need to figure things out... Plus, I need to check on the latest from the Explorer Guilds nearby to see if we can get assistance in our... financial matter..."

Zaphiel's expression turned a little grim as he spoke up, "...I understand. You just take care of that, I'll take care of Art and Whirlwind here."

"You have my thanks. I will return by dusk to check on his condition." Cyrus said. Zaphiel gave him a nod, and he gave a weak smile. "Don't worry, he's not out like he was before. He'll wake up much sooner this round. Farewell." In an instant, the Kadabra's form faded, leaving no trace behind that he was even there.

Zaphiel sighed and turned towards Whirlwind, who was just sitting there watching Artomis. "...Let's get going. I'll use my badge to get us out of here and back home."

Whirlwind showed a weak smile at her friend. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan... He saved me, and yet Cyrus says he's only been conscious as a Pokémon for six hours... How's that even possible?"

Zaphiel shrugged his shoulders, "I have no clue... I'm surprised you believe the story, though."

Whirlwind cocked her head. "You don't believe him?"

"No, it's not that... it's just really hard to believe a story like that... I mean, how many occurrences have Pokémon turned human or human to Pokémon? I can never remember such a story."

Whirlwind nodded. "Alright, I see your reasoning, but that shouldn't stop you from trusting him. At least give him a little faith. After all, all he can remember is his name and a voice with no words. He's having trouble figuring things out for himself. After what I saw him do before... I say you talk to him."

Zaphiel nodded. "Yeah, sure. Let's head back now, though, there could be more lurking around here." Whirlwind nodded and smiled as Zaphiel placed the stone on her head and she warped back to the base. He then turned to the downed Artomis and smiled. "Let's go back home and get you fixed up."


	2. Ch2 The Brigade

**A/N: Sorry for such the long wait, I meant to post this days ago, but I forgot to pay my damn Internet bill. Oops, wont happen again. Here's the next installment, Please review!**

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Ch. 2 The Brigade

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"…Thanks for rescuing me again, Zaphiel… Who knows what would have happened if you didn't show up." Artomis said, staring at the shiny red apple on the table in front of him. His memory was foggy about the previous day, but at least he could remember everything. He felt much better compared to the day before. He had already been up a couple hours and he hadn't been affected by anything yet.

"Well, that's part of our job as a rescue team. If we would have let you go off all alone like that, we would have broke our code to help others in need, and that's just not right." With a smile, Zaphiel picked a berry off of the plate in front of him and popped it in his mouth. After a second, he patted Artomis' shoulder. "Eat as much as you need, man. You're going to need the energy for today."

Art smiled, "I appreciate it, thank you." He felt starved, but felt like he was quite the burden to Zaphiel now. He was an outsider coming in and they offer him everything.

Zaphiel give him a questioning gaze, "You feeling alright? Not another blue dizzy spell, right?"

Breaking out of his zone, Artomis just smiled and took a huge bite of his apple. After he swallowed, he broke a piece off the fruit and held it for a second. "I'm fine, just thinking. You guys have a nice place here." It was true, the dining room looked nice. It had two rows of tables set up for plenty of Pokémon to sit, but it wasn't tight together. Plenty of room to move in the brightly lit room would provide well enough for at least a hundred Pokémon, Art estimated. It made him a little surprised that still, there were no other Pokémon to be seen. Two seats of a hundred… It was a little sad.

"Thank you for the kind words. It has not been finished long, but are base is now quite the steady foundation. I am glad you approve." Turning around, Artomis saw Cyrus walking out of the kitchen area with a few different colored seeds and berries floating just above his head.

Zaphiel cocked his head slightly and let out a light sigh, "…You like to show off a lot, don't ya?"

"Just a little bit." Cyrus smiled, grabbing a berry from the air and popping it in his mouth. _"Anyway, Artomis, I would like to speak with you alone for a moment. Once you have finished eating, Zaphiel will show you to my quarters. Don't hesitate to fill yourself, we have plenty of food to go around." _

The Pikachu got an annoyed look on his face. "Will you make up your mind on when to speak or use telepathy? I don't know when to think or listen to you anymore…"

Art let out a small laugh. He really didn't mind of the switch, hell, he thought it was kind of cool. "Yeah, I'll come down. It wont take me much longer to eat." He was about to take another bite of his apple, but noticed that it was all gone. He shrugged at his own lack of attention and popped one of the blue berries off his plate into his mouth.

"Good. I shall see you soon then." Cyrus the gave a thumbs up as he, and the food around him, vanished in thin air.

"...I'll never fully understand that guy. He's great and does his job well, but he's something else..." Zaphiel said with a sigh, only to pop a seed into his mouth and work up another smile. "I'll just give you the grand tour once we're done. He's going to wanna clean up his office a bit before you go into it."

"That's fine, I've got plenty of time on my hands now." Art said after he swallowed his berry. He kept trying every now and again to think about anything in his past, but only that one voice and those two words echoed whenever he tried. He began to think that maybe he shouldn't have done what he did, whatever _that_ was...

---

"Ah, yes. Please come in."

Opening the large wooden door, Artomis stepped inside of a dark room, seeing Cyrus standing beside a rack on the far right side. "What is it you needed to speak with me about?" He now stood in the center of the room, where two chairs sat and beside that, a long table with neatly kept documents.

Cyrus turned toward Artomis and took a few steps his way. "This building that you are in currently isn't just a normal base. This is a base for a Pokémon Exploration Guild. We are known as the Twilight Brigade." He moved his arm up and waved his hand, causing a chair to move up to him and he sat down in it. "As such, we do Pokémon rescues, we explore unseen territory, and much more to help the common Pokémon."

With a nod, the Riolu also sat down in a close black chair. Every time made him feel a little uncomfortable at first, mainly because of the new tail, but he got used to it after a few moments. He knew that the conversation was going somewhere, but he didn't want to seem hasty and decided to let Cyrus continue on.

"I know that you are currently struggling and have no past, which is why I am going to offer you this: we of the Twilight Brigade will help you with your search for your past, as well as give you shelter and food. The only thing that I ask you is to make your keep and be a active member as our team. There might be times where you have to fight, and others where you must figure out puzzles or riddles, but all the same, I think you would do well working with us."

Cyrus' eyes were dead-locked on Art as he sat there, taking in all the info. He understood perfectly what he meant, but he just wasn't sure if he was the material they were looking for. _I don't know how to fight... I've hardly even been awake for a full day yet... But I don't have anywhere else to go and he said they would help me... Plus I do owe them twice now for saving me..._

"...I'll Do it. Sign me up for a member of this Twilight Brigade."

---

"You did?! You're a part of the team now! Oh that's so cool!" Zaphiel said, almost jumping for joy as the were walking down the long hall to the Base's exit. "Oh! Before we go, I gotta go grab something! I'll be right back!" He dashed back down the opposite way and turned the corner that lead to the Sleeping Quarters. It was only a moment when the Pikachu returned, this time carrying what looked to be a backpack. "Here! This is for you! There's a few things inside, so don't drop it."

Grabbing the bag, Artomis could feel it had a little weight to it, but overall, it was quite light. He opened the front flap to see a red scarf, a pair of square-lens goggles, and a bunch of different colored fruit, berries, and seeds.

As he was digging through, Art looked back up to ask Zaphiel what this was for, but Zaphiel had now been wearing the same red scarf he had and had a belt around his waist with a pouch on it. "Those are for you from Cyrus. Whenever we go out, wear the scarf. It will tell people you are apart of this guild. The goggles there have a added effect just like my belt here. Yours give you resistance to any accuracy lowering attacks, like sand-attack or smoke screen, where mine allows me to move a little faster. They come in handy while exploring Mystery Dungeons."

"Mystery Dungeon...? I've never heard of one of those..."

"You know the forest you went into yesterday? That just happens to be one of them. A Mystery Dungeon is special compared to normal places because every time you go into it, it's different. It's our job to explore these and do different missions inside. The forest is called Shimmering Forest, and since you are now one of us, I guess I should show you the adds I found on the bulletin. We've got two missions right off the gate!"

Artomis looked at the two pieces of paper Zaphiel held out. One request was by a Pidgey asking to find his big brother, and the other was to find the reason for the name of the forest. "Why the forest was named Shimmering Forest? That sounds like it should be in a history book or something."

"There are still questions in the world that no one knows the answer to, this happens to be one of them. There is no record on how the forest ever even got it's name. This mission has been up there since we started our guild, even Cyrus couldn't figure it out... I figured we might as well give it a shot, though!" He put the papers back into the pouch at his side and smiled. "Put on your stuff, I wanna see how you look!"

With a nod, Artomis reached into the bag and pulled out the accessories. He quickly fastened the goggles on his forehead and wrapped his scarf around his neck. There was a ton of slack on it, making it seem more like a cape to Art.** He looked up at Zaphiel, who's eyes were shinning bright. Giving a questionable glance, Art shrugged and turned around. He showed a quick smirk and began dashing ahead. "Last one to the gate misses out on dinner!"

Zaphiel stood shocked, he almost didn't realize what was happening, but Artomis could hear the far cry from the Pikachu using it's agility. _I've got to beat him this time... Riolu... What do you know...?_

"I'm catching up! You can't beat me!"

_~" ...Look out! Use Quick Attack!" ~_

In an instant, Artomis' vision cut out and all he saw was the blue fog. _This was a different voice from before... _He fell forward on the ground, grabbing his head as the pain began to worsen.

_~" ...Get away from here! It's not safe! I'll hold them off!"~_

"Art! Art! Are you alright?!" He could feel Zaphiel at his side, turning him over onto his back. The pain slowly started to subdue and his vision clearing, the entire time, his Pikachu friend talking to him, making sure he was alright.

After a few minutes, Art was able to sit up. "...This time it was different."

"What do you mean? The Vision?"

"Yeah... The voice was different. It was deeper, like a guys voice. It told me to use quick attack..."

"Well, that would explain how you beat me so fast."

"Huh?" Gathering his wits, Art looked around and realized they were right in front of the gate. "...Wow... I did that?" He was shocked for a moment, but didn't want to forget to tell the rest. "There was another thing too... It said it wasn't safe... To get away or something..."

Zaphiel gave him a worried look. "Wow... That's something else..." He turned away for a second, closing his eyes. "Well, I'm sure everything will turn out alright. Who knows, maybe these Visions might come in handy. I mean, I know it hurts... But right now it's something none of us know about. Cyrus has been looking night and day into it, in fact."

Standing up, Artomis looked toward the gate. Zaphiel let out a surprised gasp. "I'm fine. It will get better once I get moving again. There's a couple missions we gotta do for the Boss Man."

-

**A/N:** Look at my profile for a reference pic (damn, I still need to edit that damn thing and make it cool -_-;)**


	3. Ch3 Forest Mystery

**A/N: Well, quite the while it's been. This one's the longest by far, though, so if I have upset you with the long wait, I hope this makes up for it. Enjoy and please review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, quite simple really.**

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**Ch. 3 - Forest Mystery**

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"Quite the maze we got here… you say this place changes constantly? I wonder how it does that." Artomis stepped over a fallen tree branch and landed in a light leaf pile. The small crunches from the frail, dried up leaves sounded like explosions in his mind. His head-ache had gotten worse as they progressed through the forest.

The missions sounded like a walk in the park, but they were really deep into the forest and there was no sign of a single Pokémon. That made Art uneasy, seeing as how there was much activity the day before. "Hey Zaphiel, any clue on where the Pidgeotto is? We've been here for hours. The sun's going to set before we even leave the forest."

"Well, his little brother said that they were on floor 12, and according to my map, we're on floor 10. It's not that much farther, just hang in there." Zaphiel started to put his map away and tossed Art a smile. "You'll get used to this, we go out on missions that sometimes take weeks to finish. Trust me, with just Cyrus and I on one of those missions, you would be glad for a new recruit if you were me." Stopping suddenly, Zaph looked at Art and reached in his bag. He then tossed an apple at Art, who looked back at him confused. "You don't look too well again, eat up, it'll help."

"It's just a light head-ache, I'll be fine. Thanks for the food, though." Art was feeling a bit famished. The only thing he had to eat was at the Twilight Brigade base, and that seemed like forever ago to him. He took a small bite out of the apple and looked up into the trees. No sound. No movement. Something was wrong, that he was sure of. Zaphiel turned his gaze the same direction and looked at him again, confused. Art smiled and let out a small shrug, stepping forward, past his friend. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we have a clean rematch at our race for dinner."

Zaphiel started to slowly follow behind him. "Yeah, well, I hope you enjoy that apple, 'cause that's gonna be the last thing you eat today!"

Walking deeper into the forest, trees became more dense and the air seemed to get thicker. Artomis could feel they were close to the heart of the forest. Walking around a curve, the pair entered a dark path, completely covered in moss. When they got to the end of the path, they peered into the next room and Zaphiel let out a gasp. "Art, it's him… There's Pidgeotto, but he has company…"

Looking where Zaphiel was staring, Art soon saw the familiar face of his former enemy, who had the Pidgeotto tied up and sitting next to a fire. It seemed unconscious, but there was no way to tell with how far they were. "So… this time we gotta fight this creep in his turf. And I still don't know anything…"

Zaphiel turned to Art and gave him a cold look. "Don't say that, you are smarter than you think. Just let your instincts guide you, and you'll know what to do."

Artomis gave a nod, taking Zaph's words to mind. That's all he had really done for everything up to this point. "Ready to fight us a baddie, Zaph?"

"Lead the way, Art." Zaphiel replied with a smile.

-

"So, Cyrus, I hear you have a new recruit, is this true?"

"Yes it is, in fact, he is quite skilled, though he doesn't know his true power yet." Cyrus was sitting in a chair beside his desk, levitating an open book, cycling its pages. His eyes were on the Blastoise across from him, who was standing next to his bookshelf. "I believe he will be quite the explorer once he's done with his training."

"I'll have to take a look at the lad, maybe test out his power a bit."

"Well, I suggest waiting on that for a little while, you see, he's a special case, Froan."

Froan laughed, "Special case? What, like 'secret agent' or 'assassin' like?"

"No, he's got a slight case of amnesia."

Confused, Froan shifted into a chair across from Cyrus. "…What? So you're saying that this secret weapon of yours doesn't even know who it is?"

"Moreover 'what' it is, not who. He remembered his name fine, in fact. The thing is, he thinks that he was a human."

Froan looked at Cyrus in shock. "That Riolu thinks it was a human? What kind of crap is this, man? Why did you even call me here today?"

Putting up a hand, Cyrus turned the book towards Froan, stopping its pages from turning. "Read the pages there, you will understand. I have sent them to the forest on a mission and they are there now, most likely in its core by now."

Froan's gaze turned harsh as he stared at the book a second. "Why would you do that to this pair, huh? You're crazy sending new recruits in that place on the night with no moon… I really hope the rumors aren't true about that."

Cyrus returned the gaze, "We shall see when they return. If they prove successful, I may let you have your shot at the boy."

-

"What'ssss thissss? Guestssss over to join dinner or here to sssspoil it?" Looking at the incoming Riolu and Pikachu, the Seviper slithered closer to its catch.

"Let that Pidgeotto go, you creep!" Zaphiel said, his ears now tucked back and sparks becoming active on his cheeks. Artomis stood just behind him, looking at the captive. It looked to have no injuries other than a bump on the head.

"Or what will you do about it, ssssmall fry? I'm not alone thissss time."

"What are you talking about? There's no one else here!" Zaphiel got on all fours and sparks really started flying. "Now you're angering me, let him go now!"

"You're sssuch foolssss." The snake slithered forward, a wide grin slowly forming on its face.

Zaphiel dashed at it and jumped into the air, launching a Thunder Shock at his target. The snake swiftly dodged the attack and leapt at Zaphiel in midair. Zaphiel gave a shocked look, and narrowly dodged the bite attack the Seviper used. Art was about to step in the fray when something landed hard in front of him. He jumped back a few feet and looked ahead into the small dust cloud. "Hee hee, your fight's with me little boy!" The dust started to dissipate, reveling the identity of his opponent. The Sableye before him let out a sharp laugh as it stared at Art.

Looking uneasy at his foe, Artomis stood his ground. He watched the Sableye as its own laughter almost made it fall backward, but it caught itself and dashed at Art, full speed. Jumping to the side, Artomis countered with a kick to the foe, but the attack went right through it. The Sableye let out a squeal of laughter. It swung its claws at Art and hit him right in the chest with the scratch attack.

Letting out a grunt, Art landed on his feet and jumped back about a yard, holding his sore chest, quickly trying to think of a new strategy. _ That's right... This is a ghost type. What can I do against this thing ...? _The Sableye didn't give Art too long before he had to avoid another attack, this one barely missed his arm as he side-stepped away. Deciding quickly, Artomis leapt back toward Zaphiel and ran as fast as he could towards his friend.

"Hey! No fair!" The Sableye chased after its target, but as it neared Art, he jumped straight up in the air and landed on the Sableye's head, biting as hard as he could. "Ouch! Hey! Get off of me!"

Looking over at Zaphiel, he noticed a difference in the playing field. Zaph was being wrapped up tight by the Seviper he was fighting. Art leapt off Sableye's head, knocking it into the ground. He made a mad dash to his struggling friend but as he got close, Seviper used its Iron Tail attack and knocked Art away.

Starting to feel the pains of battle, Art dashed up one more time, letting out a loud cry. The Seviper laughed as it lashed its tail again, but this time, Artomis caught it before it hit him. "Nice try, but not good enough! Reversal!" using all of his might, Art lifted the snake from its resting place and slammed it into the ground hard. The snake straightened out, writhing in pain as Art moved up to his friend. "Are you okay, man?"

His ears tucked back and hands covering his aching head, Zaphiel slowly stood back up. "...yeah, I'll live, just watch the friendly fire, that hurt more than bein' squeezed to death!"

"As long as you're alive we can patch ya up, but we still have two guys here that don't want us alive for long." Looking ahead, Art saw the recovering Seviper, but no Sableye. _ Where'd that creep go...? _

Before Artomis knew it, Zaphiel began charging ahead and tackled the giant snake. It flew back, eye's rolling back in its head. "Alright, mines down, what about yours Art?"

"Well, I-- huh?" Behind Zaphiel, Art watched as a black ball flew directly at his friend. His heart pulsed as he pushed the Pikachu to the side, his body flashing a light blue as the Dark Pulse hit him in the back. He flew back and landed hard on the ground, face first.

"Artomis!" Zaphiel turned to where the attack originated from and glared at the Sableye. Sparks crackled heavily from his cheeks. "That's it, you're finished!" Releasing the built up energy, Zaphiel's Thunder Shock hit its target dead on.

Letting out a sharp cry, the foe fell to the ground, grunting something about them being punks. Zaphiel turned back to Artomis, who was slowly getting to his feet. "Damn, you took quite the hit, how are you still standing?"

After reaching into his bag and pulling out an Oran Berry, Art popped it in his mouth and felt his energy start to slowly return. "Good question... That really hurt." Standing upright, he looked at the struggling Sableye. It eventually got back on its feet, but looked in no condition to fight. "You done yet? I don't think you or your friend here can take much more punishment."

"Friend? Hell, I only met this guy today. He offered me a pretty little amount to help fight you, but now that he's out, I don't think I wanna get my butt kicked." It let out a sharp laugh and walked up closer. "In fact, you guys are part of a guild, right? Well, making money sucks lately, but everyone in a team gets part of the cut. Would you mind me joining you?"

Artomis looked at Zaphiel, unsure of what to do. He didn't even know that there was even payment involved. Zaphiel was showing a more than happy expression. "Sure thing! The more the merrier! What's your name?"

The Sableye gave a wide grin. "It's Ruby. Ruby the Mercenary at your service!"

-

"Hmm... I wonder if this is the end. I don't see anywhere else to go." Zaphiel let out a small sigh, looking at the single stone wall in front of them. The room was quite bare besides the trees. The trees were so thick that no light could seep through the branches to help guide them. "You think this is the end of the line?"

"Maybe, I see no shinnies in the walls. That's all I could care for." Ruby said, her hands touching the solid rock.

Artomis stood in the center of the small, dark room and looked around. He felt like there was something they were missing, he just couldn't figure out what. He still felt a little dazed, his head in a light blue fog, but that wasn't going to stop him. He decided to take a quick look at the wall as well, and walked up next to Ruby.

"You're not gonna find anything, I've searched up and down and have nothing. You might as well--"

"Hey, a hole..." Art said, cutting Ruby off completely. She gazed at Art's find for a second, in disbelief that she had missed it. The hole wasn't that big, only enough to fit a hand in. Being curious, Art reached his paw inside the hole and felt around. At first it seemed empty, but then he brushed up against something and all three of them heard a small 'click'.

Zaphiel's ears fell back as he took a step forward. "How come I don't like the sound of that?"

Ruby looked at the Pikachu funny, but was soon replaced by a look of shock as the ground started to shake under them. Looking down, they all noticed the ground start to break apart. Before they knew it, the party was falling into darkness.

-

"Ouch... Hey, are you two okay?" Attempting to stand, Artomis called out to his friends in the darkness. Once he was on his feet again, Art turned around and saw his party on the ground, unconscious. "Damn, talk about a turn for the worse... Come on guys! We got to get going!"

"They won't be able to hear you."

Turning around, Artomis searched for the face to the new voice. "Who's there? Quit hiding in the dark!"

"As well as I should. I hate dark places. You're not awake either, you know."

Confused, Art looked down at his feet to see a Riolu lying there. "...That's me? Yeah, I guess it is. Wait, then how am I standing?"

"You are using your Aura, just as I am using my psychic power, to see the world as it is." The air around Art got thick as a green form began to emerge from the ground.

"...A Xatu? How do you know all this?"

"That I will explain when you wake. I wish for you to see something." Xatu stretched out its wings and turned the Riolu around.

Artomis let out a small grunt of discomfort, but looked ahead at the tree line just before him. Little shimmers of light started to shine through the hole he guessed they had fallen through. As more light filled the room, the trees began to shine and sparkle. At a closer glance, Artomis noticed that the trees were crystallized. "The forest's name must have come from this secret cave. How about that?"

"So it would seem. Now that you know this, you should wake up and show the others. They will come around soon."

"So how do I wake up? I don't exactly know how I even got into this mess."

Xatu gave a nod, seeming to understand his plight. "Oh, it is quite simple, really. Just open your eyes."

Confused, Art sighed as he decided to close his eyes. Instantly, his body became heavy and he could feel a slight bit of pain in his back. It was quite hard to open his eyes back up, a burning sensation covering his whole body. Eventually, he began to open his eyes, letting the green shimmers from the trees shine in.

As Artomis began to stand, he could hear the grunts of his team mates as they started to rouse. "Well, Zaphiel. Take a look, I would have to say mission complete." He tried to stretch out his tense muscles, the pain slowly starting to dissipate.

After gathering his bearings, Zaphiel looked out at the tree line. His eyes began to shimmer in joy, his gaze shifting back to Artomis, then the figure standing beside him. "Whoa, who's that?!"

"We don't have time to discuss that here, we must go back to your guild. I have much to explain and little time to do it." the green headed bird gazed at Art, who only gave a slight nod.

Zaphiel pulled his badge out from his bag and handed it to Artomis. "Yeah, I think I've had enough of this place for a while... You found this one so you do the honors."

Holding the white badge, Artomis looked at the Xatu and held it up to him. "We'll see you there."

Xatu gave a nod as his body turned a solid white and faded away. Art turned to Zaphiel and Ruby, who were dazzled by the sparkling trees. Her eyes were in awe as the light continued to get brighter, reflecting more light off of the crystallized forest. "_Oh man, just one of those would make me rich... I've gotta get one!"_

"How would you even carry the tree back, Ruby?" Artomis chuckled, but the other two turned to him confused.

Ruby looked at him funny for a second. "I didn't say anything, did I?"

Feeling uneasy, Artomis looked at Zaphiel, looking for a little reassurance, but he just shrugged. "I didn't hear her say anything, trust me, she's hard to ignore."

"Hey! That's not even funny!"

Zaphiel's laughter echoed through the forest, but Art couldn't even force himself to. There were too many things on his mind and his head-ache wasn't helping any. Zaph looked back at Art and showed a weary smile. "We should head back ourselves, I think I can hear my bed calling for me."


	4. Ch4 Battle of Wits

**a/n: Well, this one took me a bit, but I like the end result. I hope you like it as much as I do, enjoy!**

-

**Ch. 4 Battle of Wits**

-

"Hey Whirlwind, have you seen Cyrus around? We need to tell him of our mission status." Zaphiel entered the Twilight Brigade base with his Riolu companion behind him, looking at the Starly who was standing by the door to the Kadabra's office.

"What? He's not with you?" The small bird looked at the party for a moment before the Pikachu shook his head. She gave a worried look, which made Zaphiel's ears droop. "I wonder if he's still in the forest. After the sun went down last night, Cyrus got worried and left to find you two."

Worry filling his mind, Artomis stepped forward. The Sableye and Xatu behind him came shuffling into the room. Whirlwind gave a shocked jump at the sight of two more Pokémon, but Art held up a paw before it could even ask. "This is Ruby, she's now a part of the guild." He waved his arm towards the grinning Sableye, who gave a thumbs up to the Starly. "And come to think of it, I never got your name." He said, turning to the psychic Pokémon.

"Everyone just calls me Xatu. Names are not important, what's important is that we move out of the way."

Zaphiel gave him a confused gaze. "What do you mean? I don't see any--"

"MOVE OVER! WE NEED TO GET A CHANSEY HERE PRONTO!" After almost plowing through the group of explorers, a Blastoise charged into the room with a wounded Cyrus over his shoulder. He busted the door to the Kadabra's office in and rushed inside.

After recovering from the charge, Art and Zaph both rushed in after the large water type, wanting to see what had become of their leader. Upon entry, Art could see the Blastoise basically hovering above the wounded ally. At first he didn't notice, but there was a dark crimson pool of blood on the ground.

"What did this to him, Froan? We were in that forest for hours and saw maybe a total of four Pokémon, and I highly doubt that a Seviper could do this, not to Cyrus." Zaphiel's ears were tucked back, a worried look on his face. Art could feel Zaph's anger build the more he stared at his wounded companion.

"I dunno what happened, you'll have to ask him if he ever wakes up." The large water Pokémon stepped back away from the group and stood behind Artomis, looking down at his small figure. "Heh, Cyrus says you're special, but you look like just another runt to me." Turning around, Art glared at Froan, but that only made the large turtle laugh.

"Hey Froan, now's not the time to pick a fight." Zaphiel was now tending to the gaping wound on Cyrus' shoulder, cleaning the blood off with his scarf. "Where's Faith? We need to get her here quick!"

"Just calm yourself, I'm right here." Stepping into the room, the Chansey gave a warm smile to them all. She was soon next to Zaphiel, pulling her egg out of her pouch and setting it aside. "Cyrus, you poor thing. You always find a way to make things more difficult than they have to be..."

_"Artomis, I need to speak with you. It is quite important and I do not have much time." _Looking around, Art knew he heard Xatu, but he couldn't see him. It soon dawned on him that he didn't "hear" him in the normal way. Giving the Blastoise one last glance, Art stepped back into the Guild hall.

Xatu was standing to the side of the front desk, eyes closed and wings spread. _"Now Artomis, I feel you are quite special some how... Your soul feels trapped between dimensions, or should I say, your 'souls' are trapped."_

Looking at the bird awkwardly, Art stepped up next to the weird Pokémon. "'Souls'? As in more than one?"

Xatu's eyes opened and they turned their glance to the small Riolu. "Correct. One of which is a Human, the other a Lucario." Xatu's gaze turned to the now closed doorway to Cyrus' office, where a loud thud was heard. Art was about ready to interrupt, but Xatu held up a wing. "These two souls seem in conflict, and no side is winning. My deduction is that one cannot live without the other, but they are like a Muk and water, the two just won't mix."

Art gave a slight nod, not exactly sure of what to make of it. "...So what do I need to do? Why are you even helping me?"

Closing its eyes again, Xatu relaxed himself back on the desk behind him. "As for why I'm helping you, well, let's just say you intrigue me. What you need to do has yet to be determined. I need to know more... Information will be key in your success."

Artomis gave Xatu a weary look. "Well, if you're talking about the human me, I know just as much on that as I do my Riolu side, and that's not much."

"The knowledge needed doesn't need to come from your past, but more over your current being. Your Aura will be key in this challenge. You will need to learn control of your power and learn its limitations, as well as trying to uncover your past." Xatu's eyes opened back up, a gleam in his eye_. "Only, once you master your power, you will find yourself in more hardships, but do not get discouraged. When you learn the ways of your Aura, come find me in the place we first met." _

With a wave of his wings, Xatu's body turned a solid white, then disappeared. Art let out a sigh, trying to put the pieces together, but nothing made any sense. He had hoped for a little guidance, but he ended up more confused than before. Deciding to worry about it later, Artomis walked up to Cyrus' office. Just before he could touch the doorknob, the door burst open with Zaphiel's angered form exiting the room.

"Let's go get something to eat before I do something I regret to that Froan."

Art looked at him confused. "Who exactly is that guy, anyway? I thought you and Cyrus were the only other members of the Guild."

They started walking towards the kitchen area and Zaphiel let out a frustrated sigh. "He's not exactly part of the team, but he does help out quite a bit. That's Cyrus' best friend. He doesn't like the idea of a Guild, but likes to help others as long as they are 'worthy' of his assistance."

"Worthy? How does he determine if a Pokémon is worthy?" Art didn't like the sound of this guy. It made him a little annoyed just to hear that Pokémon needed something to prove just to get help.

"Well, he thinks of it in two ways. First is that you do something amazing that no other Pokémon can do. Second... Well, it's a duel. If you beat him, he'll help ya whenever you need him. You lose, you must either do the same for him or never be seen by him again, but if he happens to meet you again, he tries to make your life a living hell."

Finally making it to the food court, Artomis and Zaphiel began to load up their plates with different fruits and berries. "What did you do to impress that over-grown lawn sprinkler?"

Letting out a small smile, Zaph held up a finger and a small spark of electricity crackled at its tip. "Well, I never actually fought him, but I warned him of what I would do to him when I evolved into a Raichu."

Letting out a small laugh, Art popped a berry in his mouth. He was about to reply, but he felt an odd sensation in his head. Turning to his right, he saw a light haze of Ruby standing there, almost like she was sneaking up on someone. "'What are ya doing Ruby? Not right to sneak up on guildies like that."

Zaph looked at him confused. "...Ruby? Ruby's not here, man. You must be seeing things." He popped a seed in his mouth and continued to load his plate.

Staring at the black haze, Art saw her expression go from shock to confusion. She held up her hand and gave a small wave. Art let out a smile and waved back. She jumped slightly and gave a weird look, but then showed a smile. She walked up closer to him and looked at him curiously. "How can you see me? You are really starting to weird me out!" Zaphiel jumped and almost spilled his plate hearing her voice. Once she appeared out of nowhere and was in view, he recovered and let out a sigh. Ruby began laughing historically, tears filling her eyes. "Still worth it, that's all that matters. Froan says once you're done eating to meet him outside, Zaphiel and to 'bring the runt'. Oh, and he called you a 'stupid rodent' as he was leaving. Don't kill the messenger! Bye!" Her form dissipated back to her hazy form, which made Zaphiel jump again. She scurried off, out of the kitchen, laughing the whole way out.

Artomis let out a sigh, wondering what Froan could even want with them. He looked towards Zaph, who was just standing there, looking towards the ground. "Hey, you okay man?" He looked up at Art, and again Art smiled. "Don't let him get to you. He's just trying to piss us off so we fight with him. We don't have to worry about him."

Finally showing a weak smile, Zaphiel actually let out a small chuckle. "Actually I was thinking how we can really trust that Ruby… I dunno what's worse, her stealth or her tongue." After a good laugh, they both finally finished up in the line. It wasn't like they were in a rush, after all, they were practically alone anyway. "Well, guess we should hurry and eat, find out what the big lug really wants."

-

"Heh, I'm surprised you came. You two are quite the pair. So, wonderin' why I wanted ya?" Froan was sitting in the center of the two fountains just outside of the Guild's gates. "I figure I'll make this short and sweet. I know Zaph has told you 'bout my ways, he's smart sometimes and actually helps out, be sure to hang onto the kid while you got him, runt."

Zaphiel looked a little praised at first, but was soon confused on what he truly meant. "AH! You and Cyrus both! Why do you do that to me?!"

A smirk formed on Froan's face. "Well, I guess things will never change. That being set, Zaphiel, I need you to move aside. It's time for his test."

Looking at his friend, Zaph frowned. "…I'm sorry, but this is a duel… I've got to sit this one out."

Artomis nodded at Zaphiel. He figured this was what Froan wanted. He had begun to plan out his battle strategy, but whether it would even work or not was the question. "So, can't just trust people by their word, you need their strength behind you, is that what this about?"

Standing up, Froan chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I guess it's something like that. So you gonna fight me or what?"

Shifting sideways, Art smiled. "Only if you think you're brave enough."

"Heh, tough guy, eh?" The Blastoise smiled. "I like your attitude, kid. That doesn't mean I'm gonna go easy on you, though."

"Oh, no worries. I wouldn't have it any other way." Using all his might, Art leapt into the air, completely catching the water Pokémon off guard. He landed on the back of the turtle's shell and gave him a kick to the head. "That's for calling me a runt." He quickly followed up with a firm backhand to the side of his head. "And that's for calling Zaph a rodent!" He noticed Froan reaching up towards him and he jumped off, landing just behind the bulky Pokémon. Crouching down, Art did a strong leg sweep and kicked out Froan's feet from under him. Realizing his situation, he used his last reserve of energy to jump back, just barely avoiding the crushing impact of the falling enemy.

Panting, Artomis stood there, watching the motionless Froan, every breath increasing his anticipation. The arm of his foe twitched, then he could hear a laugh come from the big lug. "Is that all? Good first attack, I give you that. Nothing compared to what I'm about to do to you." He was soon back on his feet, rubbing the back of his head. "Can say that even hurt a bit. Now it's my turn, and you don't stand a chance!"

Artomis was standing in shock. The beast didn't even feel a bit dazed from his blows. _That was the only plan I really had. Knock him out early and be on my way… yeah, I wish, but nothing is ever easy…_ Froan began to run his way, which made Art flinch slightly with every thud on the ground. Feeling hopeless, Art couldn't move a muscle, but he knew he had to do something. Gathering his wits, he began his own charge, but as soon as he started to move, Froan fired a shot out of one of the cannons mounted in his shell. The large stream of water erupting caught him unaware and slammed him hard, pushing him all the way back into the wall next to the Guild's entry doors. He struggled to even move against the pressure, each breath his lungs only filled with water. He felt as though he would pass out, the water suddenly stopped and he fell to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of water.

"Heh, you're nothing special. Just like any other weak Pokémon in the world. I need a challenge, hurry up and evolve already so I can have a real fight." Froan turned around, letting out a small grunt.

"…Shut up Froan! You could have killed him!" Zaphiel dashed in front of the Blastoise, ears tucked back and a light spark coming from his cheeks.

Froan's eyebrows rose. "Oh? Do you challenge me now? I'd be more than welcome to give you a beat-down as well."

"…You can't start a new match until ours is over!" Both Froan and Zaphiel jumped at Artomis' voice. Froan turned around and Zaph did a side-step to look at Art, a worried look on his face. Completely saturated, Art stood there taking deep breaths, trying to fully recover from the blow. He had one more trick up his sleeve. "Are you ready to continue?"

Busting out in laughter, Froan wiped a tear from his eye. "I'll be damned, still want to fight, do you? Well… I'll give you one last shot, but it won't be today. Let's just say you remind me a lot of your rodent friend here. Be sure to toughen up so it can be a fun fight." He turned back around and began walking away, laughing all the way down the path out of sight.

Running up to Art, Zaphiel gave him a stern look, which made Art cringe a bit. "You're so stupid! Why would you keep fighting after that?! A Hydro-Pump is nothing to laugh about!"

"Yeah, well I figured he wanted to see a different kind of strength. He wanted to see how strong of a hit I could take and stay conscious. Whether it was what he was looking for or not doesn't matter, I got another chance, right?"

With a sigh, Zaphiel nodded. "Yeah, I guess. You're either very smart, brave, or even less intelligent than a Magikarp."

Art busted out laughing, not even sure if he knew why he did, but he almost fell to the ground like Ruby at the comment. "All I know is, I need some sleep. I feel like I was hit by a house." Stepping forward, Art began to feel a bit feint and fell to one knee.

"Art! You okay?!"

"I'm fine, I just—AH!" His head pulsed with a sudden wave of pain, his vision completely cut out. Black was all he could see, feeling as if he was drifting into a deep void. He felt his body collapse forward, but didn't feel any pain. Soon a small light started to appear in the distance of the darkness that was his mind.

"_We need to find him… The fight is getting harder without him on my side…"_

"_Don't worry, I'm sure he's around somewhere. We just have to keep looking."_

"_Yeah, I'm sure you're right… Hey! Look out!"_

"…Hey! Art! Talk to me man! Are you alright?!"

Looking up, he saw Zaphiel just above him, but also the Chansey they had met before. "…I'll live, just a dizzy spell."

"Dizzy spell my ass! You were out cold!" Faith interrupted. "Look, you need to rest. I plan on doing a full physical on you tomorrow morning, right now I'm busy with Cyrus. Jeez, every time I come here you boys are always giving me trouble!" All Art could do was nod, he had no energy to argue with her, he knew she was probably right anyway. She gave him a smile, but then a coy look. "You better be careful, dear. Froan may have let you go this time, but that was only one of his attacks. You need to look out for your well being, as well as Zaphiel, Ruby, even Cyrus."

Zaphiel began to help Art to his feet, making sure he was stable before stepping him forward. "I'll be sure he gets his rest, Faith. No worries there."

Giving a nod and a smile, Faith turned around and began walking inside. "So much work to do, so little time…"

"Zaph, it was another vision, I think." Zaphiel gave him a shocked glance. "Yeah… Two female voices, one of them the same as before. They were looking for someone, but then something happened…"

"You're not making any sense, man. You need sleep. Think on it in the morning."

"…But it sounded like they were in trouble… the way she said it…"

"And what are you going to do to help them in your condition. Hell, did you even notice I've been practically dragging you to our room?"

They were in fact just outside the door. Art hadn't realized that they were even moving at all. "…Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Damn right I'm right. Someone's gotta keep you sane in the mess of all this."

"And someone will always be there to bring you to insanity!" Through the wall appeared Ruby, Her head sticking out with a wicked grin.

Zaphiel almost dropped Art, but held a tight grip on him. "You! AH! People today are driving me crazy!"

"Hence my statement, dummy. Anyway, back to the important part: Cyrus is awake, but he says he will see the both of you when the time is right. He says he wishes you well and apologizes for worrying you." Ruby let out a heavy sigh. "Man, I hate news like that, I wanna do stuff for Froan more often. He uses cruel language and stuff. Anyway, you guys take care! Good fight Art!" And as sudden as she came, Ruby was gone, head disappearing back into the wall.

Zaphiel stared blankly at the wall for a moment, and then looked at Art. "You know… We need to get better friends, I think ours are out to get us right now." They both let out light chuckles, both now heavily feeling the fatigue of the day. "Well, at least tomorrow should be fun. After your physical, of course."

"Ugh… What could be more fun than today?" Art replied finally standing on his own again, leaning against the doorway for support a little.

"We get to clean the entire Guild. I hope you like water!"


	5. Ch5 Cavern of Doom

_**A/N: **_**Hello again, here to present to you the next chapter of the series! I'm planning on much more action for the next few, but I'm trying to keep the story well rounded, so who knows how it will turn out in the end. Bet you're sick of me already, here's the next part in the Twilight Brigade's adventure!**

**-**

**Ch. 5 -- Cavern of Doom**

-

Even though Artomis was exhausted, he found it really hard to fall asleep. His body was really sore and his mind in a daze. Just lying there, time passing by ever so slowly. Soon the pain in his body started to melt away and his mind began to clear. He looked to his left to see Zaphiel passed out, but his body had a strange look to it. There was a bright orange hue floating over his sleeping form, Art couldn't figure out what it could mean.

_"Ah, I see you have at least learned a little bit about yourself. Quite reckless today, you were, but it had a good outcome. Just remember that you won't always get so lucky."_

With a slight jump, Art began to look around to find who had spoke. "Xatu? How did you know what happened?"

_"Oh, I know much more than you think. I was wondering when you would fall asleep so I could speak with you."_

"I'm asleep? How would I be asleep when I'm completely aware of everything around me?"

_"You will have to get used to it. What you call 'sleep' will now only be a period of time where your body rests. Your mind will stay fully active and as you grow stronger, will you see the uses of this ability. You are no normal Riolu, remember." _

"How do you know all this? You seem to know more about me than I do!" Beginning to get frustrated, Art scratched his head. "And so far you haven't said anything about the voices that I've been hearing in my head!"

_"...I can't give you an answer, not to that. I can say this, though. Keep your faith and be brave. You have some hardships in the near future, but you cannot let yourself get discouraged. You are on the right path to possibly regain your lost past."_

"Alright! That's exactly what I'm talking about! How do you know what's going to happen to me? I need answers..." Artomis began to feel the burning sensation again, bringing an irritated look on his face.

_"Calm down or you'll wake yourself up. The sun is going to rise soon, I shall answer all your questions the next time we meet." _

Art gave a stern look. "Even about the dreams?"

_"I can't make any promises, but I shall try. Until we meet again, little warrior."_

"Xatu? Hey! Damn it!" Art flopped himself on the floor, for the first time noticing his passed out form on the bed. He listened to the dead silence, letting out a sigh. He felt alone._ This sucks, but what else can I do? It's not like I can rely on myself on anything right now._ He heard a groan from Zaphiel and he felt his body cringe as the pain started to return. It was much weaker than before, but the burning sensation was never pleasant to him. His eye lids became heavy for a moment, but reopening them was a bit harder. Light began to shine into his eyes from the open window, lake glistening in the morning sun.

"Ah, you're up too. How do you feel, man?" Zaphiel now sat up in his bed, a smile on his face.

Before answering, Artomis took a second to feel his condition. The out of body experiences were starting to get to him a bit. "I think I'm okay."

Zaphiel showed a slight frown. "You still look tired. You sure you're fine?"

"I'm good. Let's just say it was a long night, but it's nothing I can't handle." He formed a fist and thrust it up level to his head and gave a smile. That brought Zaph's mood back up, but it truly didn't help himself.

-

"Are we done yet? I never though my paws could hurt so much in my life!" Letting out an exhausted sigh, Artomis set the brush he had strapped on his paw into the water bucket next to him. They were standing in the center of the mess hall, the entire room now gave off a light shimmer.

"Yeah, I think that's the whole Guild besides Cyrus' room. I wonder when we will get to see him." Zaphiel set his rag in the soapy water and sat down on the ground. He let out a sigh before looking at the doorway. His ears twitched slightly as they both heard the door start to open. In came Ruby, her wicked smile made Art smile back.

"Hiya guys! Looks like Cyrus wants us to go on another mission, I hope you're ready for it!" She walked up to Art and Zaph, looking around the room. "You two do a good cleaning job. Instead of a Guild, you should have joined a maid service." She let out a small giggle and ignored the annoyed grunt from Zaphiel. "Cyrus said that as soon as the mission is complete you can go see him, though. Just a bit of an incentive for you."

Art showed a small grin. "I'd rather go on a mission than to have to clean the Guild again. You ready for this Zaph?"

Also smiling, Zaphiel picked up the bucket in front of them. "After I take care of this, I'll meet you guys at the front gates."

Giving a nod, both Artomis and Ruby turned towards the doors and began a mad dash. Zaphiel let out a sigh as the two left the room. "Such kids, jeez..."

-

"Damn! You can see me in the shadows and beat me in races! I've got to learn your secret!" Ruby was eying Art with a questioning look, at times coming a mere inch from his face.

"I have no secrets, honest. I just do what I do." Wrapping his scarf around his neck, Artomis gave another smile. Ruby returned with a wicked grin, which made him want to laugh.

Inching closer, Ruby watched as Art's expression changed to confusion just before she gently pressed her lips against his muzzle and gave him a kiss. Art's eyes went wide in surprise, unsure of how to react. Ruby slowly released the kiss and had a small grin through her slightly blushing expression. "That's your reward for being able to beat me before. I figured it was best to do when we were alone."

Just as Artomis was about to reply, Zaphiel turned the corner with a wide smile on his face. "So, you guys ready to go?" He soon noticed Ruby blushing, but shrugged that off. He then turned to Art and saw a slight hint of red showing through his fur. "...Did I miss something here?"

Making a smile, Ruby reached into her newly acquired item pouch and pulled out a small band. "You see, I was just asking Art here to help me get this on. I'm kinda embarrassed to admit it, but I can't tie knots for the life of me."

Zaphiel gave a nod and his smile reappeared on his face. "No need to be embarrassed about it, I actually can't tie knots too well myself. I'm sure Art here can do it with ease, I mean, his scarf is always on nice and tight."

Handing Artomis the band, Ruby gave a small wink, then turned around to face Zaphiel again. "Just tie it around my head, then it won't be in the way of my attacks at all."

"Yeah, sure." Looking at the material he was handed, Art could tell that it was no ordinary item. It was actually a Focus Band, which helped a Pokémon take an enemies attack if it would cause them to faint. _How do I know that...? Have I used this before? _

"You gonna stare at it all day or are you going to put it on me? We don't have all day, ya know."

With a slight nod, Art wrapped the band around Ruby's head once and began to tie it off. He watched himself as he did it and began to wonder why he could do it with ease compared to two different Pokémon with thumbs. Once he was satisfied with his work, he stepped out in front of the two. "Alright, so what is our mission Ruby? If it's investigating another name, I swear, I'm done."

"We need to go to a place north of the Shimmering Forest, called Doom Grove. There we are to meet with a Typhlosion named Avel, he will tell us what to do then." Adjusting her head-band, Ruby then turned to Cyrus' office. "Cyrus said he would meet us after we're done. Hell, I don't even think he's here right now."

"Wow, what an appealing name of an area. They must not like neighbors," Art said with a chuckle.

With a smile, Zaphiel pointed towards the Guild's gates. "What are we waiting for, then?! We gotta hit the road to our Doom!"

-

It only took the team about an hour to reach their destination, but when they arrived, everyone's high spirits began to drop as they looked at the dying scenery around them. The edge of the forest was not a rich green like the rest of the forest, but more like a brownish-black. The scent in the air reeked of charred decay. The entire area seemed to give an eerie orange glow.

"Ugh... This place is not one I would make a home. This stinks!" Zaphiel was covering his nose with his hands, tears forming in his eyes. "How can you two stand this?"

Ruby laughed, "I can't, I just don't show it like you do. Notice how you went from excited to revolted, you sound like a new recruit!"

With a stumble, Zaph let out an annoyed grunt. "Look who's talking, newbie." Ruby began to laugh hysterically and Zaphiel's ears cringed at her high-pitched squeal. "Ugh, let's just keep moving."

With a nod, Artomis stepped forward and began to lead the party from the edge of the deep grove into its depths. It was quite a steep hill, so it was common for someone to stumble every now and again, in which Ruby couldn't contain her laughter. Eventually, they made it down to the bottom and there they saw the reason for the crisp, smog smell in the air. They were standing just before a field completely engulfed in flames. "Wow, a burning gorge, no wonder they named it Doom."

"It's really a lovely place once you get used to it. I presume you are with the Twilight Brigade, correct?" The party turned to the new voice to see a Typhlosion sitting next to a large rock. "I'm glad you came. You see, my son has been missing for days now. I've used up all of my energy looking for him, but I've had no luck. I was hoping you could help me out."

Zaphiel smiled and stepped up to the new Pokémon. "We would be glad to help you, Avel. Where was the last place you saw your son?"

"The last I saw of Raithe he was heading to his favorite cave to the east. Usually it's calm and peaceful, but lately weird things have been going on. There's been much more volcanic activity and the Pokémon around here have been effected by it."

"We'll get right on it! We'll find your son and have him home in no time, you just get some rest." Patting Art and Ruby on their shoulders, Zaphiel gave a wide smile. "Maybe this place isn't so bad after all. Let's go find the kid!"

"You are something else Zaphiel. I wonder how long it will be until he changes his mind again." Ruby let out a small giggle while stepping forward.

"Oh, it won't be long. I say once we enter the cave." Artomis said with a smile, following Ruby's lead.

Looking at his team mates, Zaph slapped the palm of his hand against his forehead. "I guess I'll have to just prove them wrong." He said, going into a mad dash ahead of the two. "Last one there misses dinner!"

-

"Why is it that whenever I call for a race I always lose?! I think my own race is rigged against me." Letting out a sigh, Zaphiel made it to the mouth of the cave where Ruby and Artomis stood. "Man, I hate this place just by the look of it."

Hearing that, Ruby let out a frustrated snarl. "Damn it, you win that bet Art. I thought he would last just a bit longer."

Art gave a smile. "I guess so." He looked down the deep entrance, feeling a bit uneasy. He felt his heart pulse, pressure building slowly in his head. _It's just like the first time in the forest... What the hell is going on?_

"Eh, once we actually find the kid you'll feel better, Zaphiel. We need to keep moving. I need to find all the gems in this joint." Ruby's grin was enough to leave a chill down both her allies' spines.

Both Art and Zaph looked at each other, both shrugging. Letting out a sigh, Zaphiel stepped forward. "She's right, let's get going and find Raithe." Turning back to Ruby, Zaphiel held up a finger. "No touchy the gems here. This place is unbalanced already, no need to mess it up more. Don't get me wrong, treasure is great. It's just that something doesn't feel right."

_Maybe I'm not the only one who can feel things. I wonder what's down there... _Looking down, Art took a glance down at his body. He still wasn't sure why he was lost in this mad new world, but he would at least do what he can until he could get his life on track.

"You coming, dude? We gotta go!"

Looking up, Art saw both Ruby and Zaphiel waving at him. "Yeah, I'm coming." Rushing ahead, Art decided that his personal life would have to wait. There was someone who needed help and he wasn't going to let them down.

-

The party had traveled quite a ways down into the dark catacombs, but still had no sign of the lost Cyndaquil. Now looking at his map, Zaphiel was trying to figure out which path to take at the fork in the road they were currently stuck at. "I think we should split up for a moment. We'll have one of us stay here while the other two investigate each path and report back. The main question is who will do what."

Raising her hand, Ruby shook with anticipation. "I'll go down the left one. I can't stand sitting still for too long."

"Alright, that's fine. What do you wanna do Art?" Looking at his companion, Zaphiel noticed that his Riolu friend wasn't looking so well again. "Maybe I'll just take the right path, you just stick here for a bit and we'll be right back."

Only half paying attention, Art gave a nod to Zaphiel. He watched as both members of his team split and go their own ways. Once he was alone, he let out a soft sigh and sat himself on the ground, leaning against the dark stone behind him for support. The further they went, the worse his condition got. _It's not even like we have had many battles. Sure, we've had a few encounters, but why would I start feeling like crap now? _

Closing his eyes for a moment, Art began to feel the weird sensation start to build in his head again. He began to breathe deep, hoping to clear his mind, but the blue haze would not go away. Soon he felt his mind blank out, but instead of pure darkness, he saw two forms in front of him. They were all distorted, but from the look of them, Art would have guessed they were doctors.

_"So, how did it go?"_

_"It was a success. After they recover, dump these two in the lab for more testing. I plan on using them as our top weapons against that pesky Union." _

A third form appeared in the back, this one in red.

_"Yeah, well the 'pesky Union' you speak of is taking you down!"_

_-  
_

"Wake up! Artomis, you need to get up. If you don't, your charge could be in death's grasp."

His eyes shot open, but the blur in his mind prevented him from seeing clearly for a moment. "...Cyrus? What are you doing here?"

The Kadabra stood tall in front of him, a concerned look on his face. "More importantly, are you alright?"

"I'll live. Where are the others?"

"That's why I'm here. You have been gone for hours and I couldn't wait any longer. I have seen both of your partners, but both are struggling greatly. I can help one, but I fear I would be too late on the other." He turned to the two paths before them. "I'll go help the one on the right, you will go left."

"Alright, let's get moving then before anything else happens." Art began to stand up and step forward, but Cyrus held out his arm and stopped him. "What? What's wrong?"

"You had quite the interesting dream, I saw it this time and I now understand what you mean." Artomis gave him a shocked look and opened his mouth to say something, but Cyrus interrupted. "I cannot give you the answers you are looking for, but don't let these thoughts over-ride your goal in times of desperation." Hearing a cry from one of the tunnels, Cyrus flipped his spoon out and held on to it tight. "We will talk more of it later, we've got things to do."

-

"Let the kid go! What did he ever do to you?!" Ruby jumped forward, looking to do a scratch attack on the inflamed foe, but he nimbly avoided the attack. The Magmar ahead of her was holding on to the scared Raithe, who was letting out a cry every now and again.

"You punks need to be taught a lesson. This is my realm and no one comes in unwelcome." Holding out his free hand, the Magmar began to charge up a fire attack.

Just as he was going to shoot the Fire Blast, Artomis did a drop kick on his arm, causing the attack to fly right by its target and hit the wall behind. "Do what the lady said, pal. Look, we've already had an interesting day, we don't need any more problems."

"You having problems? I've been having problems since the night darkness flooded the sky!" Now quite agitated, the Magmar threw the only thing in hand at Art, which happened to be the Cyndaquil that they needed to rescue.

Ruby let out a sharp gasp as she realized what the Magmar had just did. Her fear soon melted away once she saw that Artomis had things covered and caught the small Pokémon in his arms. Ruby then made a dash and was next to Art. "Nice job, I almost died right there."

Smiling at his ally, Art noticed what damage was already done to his team mate. Both her arms were seared and even were still smoking a bit from the Magmar's fierce attacks. "Take Raithe and go to the meeting spot. Zaphiel and Cyrus will be there soon."

"What about you? What are you planning?" Taking Raithe from Art's grasp, Ruby gave a questioning look.

"I'll be fine, just get going while I hold him off."

"Hold me off? Well, I hope you can give a better fight than girly there, but it won't matter anyway." The Magmar gave a smirk. "They won't get too long before I start back on them, beating them just as good as before."

Art gave a coy smile. "Yeah? You'll be lucky I let you out alive once I'm done with you for what you did to a lady and kid!" He took a small step back, half turning to Ruby. "I've got this, just get Raithe to Zaphiel and Cyrus. If they are not back when you get there, just wait for them, they won't be long."

Hesitating a second, Ruby then gave a nod and turned, starting a light dash towards the rendezvous point. Art then turned his full attention to his new enemy, his smile fading. He really wasn't confident about this, but he had to make up for his mistake.

"I hate punks like you. Always think you're a big bad ass, but you are nothing but wimps!" The Magmar began to step forward, a smile forming. "You'll just be the first to feel the pain in it all."


	6. Ch6 Radiance

_**A/N: **_**Hey guys, sorry for the month delay, school's been kicking my ass lately. Anyway, here's the next one.**

**-**

**Ch. 6 – Radiance**

-

"You're in over your head, kid." Without a moments hesitation, Magmar blew out a stream of flame at Artomis, who did a side jump to avoid it. The attack caused the flame Pokémon to leave his side open, and that's exactly what Art was locked on. He dashed forward, using a quick attack to knock his enemy to the side, just mere inches from a solid rock wall.

Standing his ground, Art began to think of his next move. In his delay, the Magmar had begun to recover, but only once he was standing, Art noticed he was holding a large rock in one hand. He launched it at Art, only to then blow another Flamethrower attack to push the boulder on its path. Art tried to dodge, but he stumbled. In a last effort, he thrust his leg forward, kicking the boulder up into the air. He barely had time to cover his face before the flame reached him.

Magmar watched as the deflected rock landed just above the doorway Art had entered from and caused the foundation to collapse, closing off the only exit. Looking down at the ground to the charred Riolu, he walked up to his target, chuckling at how truly weak the punk was.

"What's so funny?" Magmar gave a surprised look just before Artomis leapt up and did an upper-cut, his fist flying into the Magmar's chin. Art landed on his feet, Magmar on his back. He wiped a bead of sweat off his chin and showed a grin, looking down at his foe for the second time now. "What's wrong? Face hurt?"

The Magmar got back up slowly and Art could tell he was quite angry at this point. Once the Magmar was up, it dashed up to Artomis, a flame engulfing his hand before he punched Art right in the stomach. The small Riolu's body buckled up over the fist, exposing his back for another blow from the fierce Pokémon. With his open hand, Magmar slammed his palm against the open area, causing Art to crash hard against the ground. A smile formed on Magmar's face as he lifted his foot and stomped on Artomis' back. "How pathetic. Your little girlfriend lasted longer than you did."

Just as the Magmar went to stomp on Artomis again, the Riolu fought past the pain and was able to roll himself into the foe. This caused Magmar to collapse just beside Artomis, who was now trying to recover back on to his feet. _What am I going to do? This guy's all over me... What was it I did when I was in trouble the first time in the forest? _While lost in his thoughts, Magmar was already climbing back up to his feet, cursing at Art for being cheep. Artomis looked towards the entrance to see it now blocked off and let out an annoyed grunt. _Looks like this is do or die. I might as well try my hardest. _

Once Magmar was back on his feet, Art began to feel the haze in his mind come back. Everything around him besides his target had a blue tint to it. Clutching on to his head with one paw, Art began to lose hope. He watched as the Magmar took a single step forward, something beginning to form in its hands. A second step, then a third, the closer Magmar got, the worse Artomis' head felt, then everything went dark.

_"Do it now! Use Aura Sphere!"_

Artomis' ears perked up at the voice. He then saw three forms, two red and the other blue. _...What? That sounded like... _He then saw the blue form tuck its arms back, then launch them forward, releasing something past Art's vision.

_"We don't have time! Just get out of here and save yourselves, Xavior!"_

"How pathetic, you have to close your eye before I beat the tar out of you? I can't blame you, but that won't change anything."

Opening his eyes, Art came back to reality just as the Magmar now directly in front of him was pulling back for another Flame Punch. Just as Magmar was thrusting his fist forward, Artomis jumped back and narrowly avoided the attack. Once back on the ground, he moved his paws to his right side and let out a deep breath. The haze in his mind was building up so much that all he could really see anymore was blue, but he began to feel pressure building between his paws. He began to concentrate harder, beginning to faintly remember his first time in Shimmering Forest. He aimed all the pressure in his mind to between his paws, which seemed to clear the vision impairment. He looked down at his paws to see a golden sphere between them, but quickly turned back towards his opponent.

Magmar saw what Art was doing and dashed forward, hoping to knock the Riolu out before it could release its attack. Art saw this and pushed the ball he held forward, launching it right into the oncoming Magmar. On contact, the sphere exploded, causing both of them to fly away from each other. Magmar landed hard on the ground about 30 feet away from the wall Artomis had been blown into. Art fought the pain in his body and watched the still foe, hoping that the Magmar had finally passed out.

Panting heavily, the Riolu slowly got back up on his feet. He could feel a warm liquid flowing from the back of his head. He reached his paw back and touched the new injury. It shot a wave of pain through his head, but he could tell by the feel of the wound that it wasn't severe. Bringing his paw back in front, Art saw a crimson coating over his fur.

He looked over to the only exit, letting out a sigh. _Great, now that it's blocked, how the hell am I going to get out of here...?_

_"Stuck again? You sure do like getting yourself in trouble, don't you?"_

_If you want to call it that. Wait, Cyrus? _

Just as Art realized who had spoke to him, his Guildmaster appeared right before him, a smile on his face. "Looks like you had a fun fight."

"Well, if you want to call getting my ass kicked, then getting a lucky shot a good fight... Then yeah, it was fun."

Cyrus held out his hand and helped his teammate off the hard ground. "Everyone is waiting for us back at the base. We should get going ourselves."

Forcing a smile, Art gave a slight nod. "That's great, but I can't teleport like you, so how am I going to get out?"

A chuckle came from the Kadabra. "Don't worry about that. In fact, watch." Cyrus pulled his badge out from his pouch and touched the top of Artomis' head. Instantly, the Riolu's form flashed white then disappeared. Cyrus then put away his badge and looked over at the fallen Magmar. "Looks like this is going to be interesting. The boy is struggling, but he presses through. I must push him harder. If we survive what's to come, I might just give him a chance to prove himself yet."

_-_

"_'We don't have time! Just get out of here and save yourselves, Xavior!' _...That's what I heard. I don't know what it-- Ouch!"

"Hold still! I need to make sure these stitches are straight!"

"Sorry Faith..." Trying to hold still, Artomis explained everything to his guildmates that had happened once inside of the cave in Doom Grove. He had a little trouble remembering everything clearly, but once he finished, he was pretty sure he covered it all. "But that voice... I think I know that voice."

Zaphiel jumped up in shock. "You knew it? What do you mean?"

Cyrus tossed Zaphiel a sharp glance. "He means what he says." He shifted towards the still Riolu. "The fact that Art knows the voice intrigues me along with another question: in his vision, why would that voice call out for an Aura Sphere? Not only that, but how was Art able to conjure one of his own from the memory?" Placing his hand on Artomis' shoulder, Cyrus knelt down next to him. "You are looking quite feint. I think I'm going to hold off our discussion until tomorrow."

Gazing at the ground, Art could only hear Xatu's words in his mind. "...No. I want to talk now. I'm sick of the waiting. I just want to figure out what I am and why I'm here."

"You know as well as I do that I cannot bring back your past, but I can help you figure out your future. I can help you by sending you to different areas so you might be lucky enough to find out information. In fact, I plan on sending you to another location once you are well. Your help is needed to ensure what was released is contained once more."

"What's released is contained...? What are you talking about, Cyrus?" Zaphiel looked at the Kadabra confused.

"There's no easy way to put this, but while you three were exploring the Shimmering Forest, you released a beast from his deep sleep underneath the heart of the forest on the night of no moon. It was my fault for not realizing the rumors were actually true. By the time I got to the chamber that you had collapsed, Darkrai was waiting for me."

"Darkrai? Is that a Pokémon?" Zaphiel asked, scratching behind his ear.

"That's why you were out cold, Darkrai used its Dark Void attack on you." Art chimed in, letting out a little grunt as Faith stabbed at his flesh once more with the needle she held. "You know you didn't stand a chance against the dark type, why did you fight it?"

Looking at Art confused, Zaphiel crossing his arms over his chest. "How do you know that? I mean, you seem to know more about Pokémon than you do yourself."

Art thought for a second. "...You know, you might be right." He began to remember all the encounters he had with Pokémon. Everytime they faced a new challenge, Art at least seemed to know something about the Pokémon involved. He soon realized that they were getting off the main subject and decided to lead back to it. "That doesn't matter right now, though. Why was Darkrai even there in the first place?"

Cyrus pulled out his spoon and eyed it closely. "There was a reason for that Darkrai to be isolated. It, in fact, was responsible for countless deaths in this area alone. A group of explorers called Team Break, formed of a Nidoking, Scizor, and Houndoom, were successful in trapping the vile Pokémon, but have never been seen since that incident ten years ago." Cyrus closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "I must admit, I was not confident when I had to battle it, but that did not stop me from trying. I may have lost the fight, but Darkrai didn't get away unscathed. After he left, darkness filled the skies until you two found Xatu."

_Magmar said something like that when I fought him, this must be what he meant. _Cringing from the needle piercing him again, Art watched Cyrus' expression turn dark.

"We cannot allow history to repeat itself. We must find a way to defeat this foe with any means necessary. And this is where you two come in."

Ruby showed herself from behind Faith and walked up next to Cyrus. "Oh, you're gonna tell them about the item, aren't you?" She showed a small smile. Art guessed she took pride in knowing something others didn't.

Cyrus gave her a stern look. "Yes, but you are not going with them yet. You have other duties that you should be working on right now."

"Oh, alright. I'll take the kid back home for ya, happy?"

"Very. In fact, if you come back successful, I may just have a reward for you." Cyrus showed a clever smile as Ruby let out a happy squeal. "Now get going or it will be dark by the time you return."

Watching Ruby dash out of the room in excitement, Artomis let out a soft sigh. "So, what do we have to do?"

"First you need to find an item that has been lost since that battle. There is no information on what it was called, but it was a major key to Team Break for sealing the Darkrai. If we can find that, we might just stand a chance."

"So, where do we gotta go to get this item?" Zaphiel said, watching as Faith began to put the last stitch in Artomis' head. "You do know where it's located at least, right?"

"In fact, I don't know where it resides. That is part of your next mission, which is gathering information from the townsfolk on the item. This may take time to do, but several travelers are in and out of the Town of Lyrian at different times, so make sure you gather as much information as possible for the next few days."

"Good thing, too. If you would have made them go on a mission for anything else right now, I would have beaten you down myself," Faith chimed in, finally done with her mending. "You better take it easy. Just because you're a Riolu doesn't mean you're invincible." She began packing away her tools into her pouch, but once she saw Art start to move, she grabbed his shoulders and held him back. "You're not going anywhere yet. I'll tell you once I'm done with you."

Letting out an annoyed grunt, Artomis closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "So Cyrus, you said you saw my dream in Doom Grove. Were you able to make out any of the figures I saw?"

After a moment of silence, Cyrus sat down next to Zaphiel. "I can tell you one thing that I did notice. They were human. As for who they were or what was going on, your guess is as good as mine."

"...I see. Do you think-"

"Yes, I do believe it could be a memory from your past. Along with a few of the other visions you have had. Now you have said that you heard two female voices one time, one of them sounded like they were in trouble. Do you remember anything about the vision besides that?"

Opening his eyes in shock, Art felt something warm and wet wiping his fur. He relaxed once he noticed it was Faith cleaning the patches of blood from his wound with a rag. He began to think on what he had seen in that vision, but all he could remember was the voices. _Wait, the voice is the same! It's the same voice from the first time this started happening to me. _

"So, it seems as you have figured something out, please share with the rest of the class." Cyrus was now sitting, legs crossed, floating just a few inches above the ground.

"One of the voices from that vision was the same one I heard just before you two found me."

Zaphiel's ears twitched at what Art had mentioned. "Before? You never told me you had a vision before we found you. What happened in that?"

He thought hard on what was said exactly, but it wasn't long before his head began to feel fuzzy. He could actually hear the voices spoken just like it was fresh in his mind. "There were two voices, in fact. Both have been in multiple visions... They were saying that things would get better... 'set things right' was what the male voice said. A female was pleading for him not to go, but..." Artomis grabbed his head, pain building up suddenly as he continued to force himself to remember what was said.

_"...I'm sorry... but I have to do this... I will always..."_

_"NO! ARTOMIS!"_

Artomis felt himself fall back onto the chair, hearing a loud thud behind him. His eyes were wide with shock as he inhaled deep. His body had a burning sensation, almost like everytime a real vision occurred. "...I'm one of the voices in my head."

Faith could be heard ranting and raving behind Art, having just received a headbutt from the back of his head. He looked behind him to see her slam the door as she was leaving the room. He felt guilty for unintentionally hurting her and was about to follow her, but Cyrus held up his hand. "Faith will be fine, she's taken worse abuse from Zaphiel here." The mouse Pokémon to his side shot him a glare, where he returned a half-smile, then turned serious and looked at Art. "You said something after you lost control again. Can you repeat what that was?"

"I said that... I said things would be alright. She told me not to go, but I guess I did anyway. That girl's voice is the same one from other visions, just like my voice." Art felt his body shaking, his body felt cold after that flashback and he couldn't figure out why.

"Calm down, Artomis. You say that it was your voice you were hearing? How do you know that for certain?"

"She called out my name after telling me not to go. I think that's the only reason why I remembered my name in the first place."

"I see. Well, I believe you have picked your brain enough today. I don't want you to linger on these thoughts, but I don't want you to forget anything you have seen or heard. Right now, we need to deal with the problem at hand." Cyrus stood up and gazed at the two. "I need you both to go into town and gather as much information on Darkrai, Team Break, or the item they used. I shall be doing my own research on the side to aid the two of you, but there are many things I must do."

Zaphiel tossed Cyrus a smile. "No worries, Art and I can take care of it! Right man?"

"...Yeah, we sure can," He replied, not really confident in his response.

With a smile, Cyrus gave a nod. "Good, I shall give you the rest of the day to recover, but come tomorrow, we all need to make forward progress."

"Sounds like a plan, boss-man." Zaphiel gave a thumbs-up to Cyrus just before he disappeared in a white light. Turning to his partner, Zaph let out a small sigh. "You just get more interesting the more I get to know you."

Looking up, Art gave Zaph a confused look. "I'm glad I interest someone. Right now I just feel like a lost puppy."

"Don't get discouraged, man. Things will turn out all right. You just gotta keep moving forward, you'll find all your answers. I know you will." Once finished, Zaphiel stood up and held his hand out to Art. "Let's get some food. I bet you're starving, I know my gut's about to eat me if I don't feed it soon."

-

The dark silence was almost enough to drive him mad. Lying on his stomach, Artomis was staring at his own right paw, trying to clear his mind to try and fall asleep. Zaphiel could be heard moving every now and again, but other than that, it had been the quietest night in the guild.

The thoughts of his memories lingered in his mind, and he tried to put some effort to figure out what they meant. _Nothing makes sense. That girl was with a friend and was in trouble, but I wasn't there... At least I don't think I was. But how would I have that memory if I wasn't? _

He turned over, on to his side and stared ahead out the window. It was as calm outside as it was in the guild, light clouds in the moonlit sky. That annoyed Art. He didn't really like silence. It made him feel a little empty inside, he couldn't figure out why it made him feel that way, but it did.

He sat up and held his head for a moment. A small bit of pressure built up on his new injury for a moment, but the pain was quick to dissipate. _I want to see Xatu, but I don't think I meet his qualifications yet... What should I do? _

_"You should go to sleep before I cast Hypnosis on you. You've got a long day tomorrow." _Looking up, Artomis saw Cyrus standing at the doorway. He tossed a wave and turned around, leaving Art alone once more.

He decided to lay back down, only this time, he began to feel the days fatigue. He closed his eyes and felt his body slowly drift off into sleep. He opened his eyes again as soon as he could and noticed he was standing on top of his real self._ Man, I can't even get away from reality in my dreams. I wonder why this happens to me every night now. _

He sat down next to his physical form and pondered for a moment. He just couldn't get the memories off his mind. _I wish I could see them again, maybe then I could put all the pieces to this puzzle together. _He began thinking of one of his past visions. Once he started to remember, he noticed the scenery around him go dark. He then saw two feint figures in the distance, one a blue the other a orange-red color.

The blue figure seemed to move forward and the other followed close.

The blue figure soon stopped and turned towards the orange one."_We need to find him… The fight is getting harder without him on my side…"_

The orange figure stepped up next to the halted blue figure._ "Don't worry, I'm sure he's around somewhere. We just have to keep looking."_

"_Yeah, I'm sure you're right…" _Several black figures formed almost instantly around the pair._ "Hey! Look out!"_

Everything went dark again as Artomis sat on the ground, surprised he actually saw what happened this time. He believed that it was the blue figure that had spoken to him in his first vision, but it was hard to tell who was talking when. _One of those voices is the same, I just need to figure out who it belongs to. Once I find her, I might figure out who I am. But how the hell am I going to find someone just by their voice?_ Hearing Zaphiel tossing in his sleep, he looked up and out the window to see the sun starting to shine through the dark horizon. _Well, just about time for another day in the world of Pokémon. They should really post a sign saying "No humans allowed" at the entrance or something._


	7. Ch7 Unexpected Encounter

_**A/N: **_**Alright, so it's only been a week and I'm posting another chapter. I hope this makes up for the long time waited on the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one!**

**-**

**Ch. 7**** – ****Unexpected Encounter**

-

"Well, any luck Artomis?" Zaphiel walked up to the Riolu, who was standing beside a well in the center of town. He shook his head at Zaph, who let out a sigh. "Well, I didn't either. Three days and still no information. This is gonna be tougher than I thought."

Art stared across the street at the group of explorers he had spoken to before. A mix of a Piplup and Eevee, they only knew that the team existed and that Team Break defeated Darkrai. That was really good compared to anyone else they spoke to. Hell, after all the Pokémon they had spoken to, only three groups knew little information. "So what do we do now? I haven't seen anyone new enter the town for about an hour now. Duskill is starting to give me some funny looks every now and again and I'm getting a bit creeped out."

"Oh, so a Magmar doesn't scare you, but that does? You've got something wrong in your head."

Art smiled. "Does the noise in my head bother you?"

Zaphiel gave him a stern look. "No, but it does worry me sometimes. You get anything since Doom Grove?"

"No, nothing. I haven't had any headaches beside the stitches. I've got to meet Faith after diner to get those out if it's sealed enough." So far, Art had not told Zaphiel about when he falls asleep. He felt that time belonged to him. Ever since he triggered a memory in his dream, he kept attempting each night after. Only when he concentrated on a phrase from the memory, it seemed to trigger his aura somehow. At least, that's what he guessed.

"Damn, Artomis! There's one I haven't seen before!"

Turning to his right, Art looked past the Dojo and watched as a Scyther was entering Lyrian's front gate. "Don't rush it. We don't want to pester someone once they get here, that's kind of rude."

"I wasn't gonna. I learned from the Machoke before... I mean, woah man."

Art couldn't contain his laughter and rolled his head back. "You're something else, man. You really are."

"Excuse me, can I ask you something?"

Hearing a new voice, Art rolled his head back down and saw the Scyther standing directly in front of him. "Uhh... Yeah, sure."

"You're from an exploration team right? Well have a challenge for you."

Zaphiel gave a questioning glance. "A challenge? What do you mean by that?"

Scyther turned toward the Pikachu. "I hear you're looking for information on Team Break. I might just know something about them, but I won't give it up so easily."

"What do we have to do?" Artomis didn't like the sounds of this, but so far this was their only lead.

"Meet me at the entrance to Frost Cavern. Bring whoever you would like, but my time is short. I only have until sunset before I must leave for my Home. I will not make this offer again, so choose wisely." Turning away, the Scyther walked away and out of the gate he entered from.

"...That was interesting. What do ya think of that character, Art?" Zaphiel said, his ears drooping slightly.

"I don't think we really have a choice. He sounded confident when he mentioned Team Break. Could be a trap, though."

Zaph gave a nod. "We'll go prepared. Ruby's been itching to get out of the Guild. I don't really think she likes being a messenger."

"Oh, you really think I'm like that? I wouldn't say I hate it, Froan is hilarious!" Ruby appeared behind Zaphiel, watching the mouse jump. She gave a wierd look to the calm Artomis, who was actually showing a smirk. She gave a small glare to the Riolu. "I'll get you someday yet."

Art gave a full smile. "We'll see if you can. You up for a mission to Frost Cavern?"

She returned with a coy grin. "Yeah, I suppose I can go with ya. Got nothing going on here anyway. Why you going there?"

"Guy we got to see. Has info on Break and we don't quite trust him."

"Heh, typical in my line of work. Who's our client?"

"A Scyther, no name given."

"Our objective?"

"Won't know until we get there."

"You're good, you play this game before?"

"Only when you come around, but every moment is funny as all hell."

Zaphiel looked at the two of them with a dumbfounded expression. "...Did I miss something here?"

Letting out a giggle, Ruby leaned against Zaphiel, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "Oh, you don't have to worry. We understand and that's all that matters. I'm going to grab my Explorer Kit, I'll be right back!" She then melted away into the shadows, almost causing Zaph to fall on the ground.

Once he recovered, Zaph let out a sigh. "I'll never get you two."

Artomis gave a smile. "I don't get me, but that isn't saying much."

After a quick laugh, Zaphiel turned to the well next to Art. "Why have ya been standing by this well all day, anyway? I know it has a good view of the main gate, but there's more to this town than that."

Turning to the well, Art began to look down inside. "I don't know what, but there's something about this well that gives me a feeling like I'm missing something."

"I'll tell ya what you're missing: lunch if you can't beat me to Auntie Kangaskhan!" Zaphiel began a mad dash off to the west just down the path.

Letting out a sigh, Art started to follow his friend. After a few steps, Art felt an odd sensation and turned back toward the well. _Maybe it's just me. I don't know, but I can't let Zaph win! _

-

After preparing for their next mission, Artomis, Zaphiel, and Ruby all set out for Frost Cavern. Zaphiel had doubts that the Scyther was trustworthy, but Artomis still believed.

"So you're saying you believe him? I don't know, when he met us, he came into the town and left right after. I think we were targeted." Zaphiel said after climbing past a fallen log. They had to pass through a section of Shimmering Forest and were almost to a clearing.

"I admit, it seemed suspicious, but what other choice do we really have?"

Ruby hopped in front of the two, taking a bite out of the apple she held. "None, I'd say. I watched you guys run around for hours and I'd say this is the only shot you got." She tossed the apple in the air and caught it with her left arm behind her back. "You'll get used to meeting clients and questioning their loyalty. Happens with a lot with Pokémon now-a-days since a bunch started going Wild."

Giving a questioning glance, Art thought for a moment on what Ruby had meant. "Wild? Like when they attack and won't listen to reason?"

"Yeah, something like that. We'll see what happens once we get there, that's all I can really say." Ruby jumped over a large rock and did a front flip in mid-air.

Zaphiel let out a small grunt. "Showoff..." He turned his attention to another log that was ahead on the path and gave a smirk. He leapt ahead of the group, running as fast as he could. Once he reached the log, Zaphiel did a quick 180° turn, showing his comrades a coy smile as he jumped and did a double back-flip, landing on all fours on the soft dirt.

Ruby stood motionless for a moment, but then just burst into laughter, falling in the dirt with her hands around her gut. "You are insane! I think I'll like working with you two, you challenge me. I need to step my game up if I wanna keep up with you."

Zaphiel stood upright and gave a cocky smile. "Damn straight. Not only that, but look behind me." He turned around and walked forward. The trees were all starting to be coated in snow the farther they looked. "Say, you guys up for another race?"

Letting out a sigh, Artomis walked next to his friend placing his paw on the Pikachu's shoulder. "You two have fun, I'll sit this one out."

"You okay? Usually you're up for a good race."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Better than normal, really. I just got a lot on my mind." Art lied. His head was feeling fuzzy again, but so far it was only a small shimmer compared to the bursts from before.

"Okay, as long as you're fine. Ruby, it's just you and me."

"You're on. See you soon Art!" At the same time, both Ruby and Zaphiel dashed ahead.

Artomis let out another sigh and started to walk forward. _So a Scyther knows about Team Break, we have to go to an area of his choosing, and I could be on the verge of having another flashback. This mission already has success written all over it. _He rolled his eyes and began to pick up his walking pace. _Well, the quicker we get there, the quicker we get-- huh? _He stopped and looked ahead at the odd statue that sat beside a small tree. _That's odd, this feeling is just like the one at the well. _Walking over to it, Artomis felt the flame in his head gradually grow. _Maybe... Maybe She was here._

The statue looked like a Pokémon, but at first glance, he didn't know what it was. He took another step forward to get a closer look and his brain was pierced by a sudden wave of pain. Everything went black and he felt his numb body fall on to the statue.

_"Hey, isn't that a Mew?" _The familiar blue form moved closer to a gray shade, kneeling down in front of it.

_"Yeah, but I've heard they don't exist. It's been years since there's even been traces of it." _It was his voice. He couldn't see his form, but the voice was clear.

_"We're close to the end... Do you have any regrets, Artomis?" _

His body felt cold. Opening his eyes slowly, Artomis peeled himself off the hard rock. "Damn it, why does this always happening? I can't keep hitting my head like this..." Once he recovered, he took a good look at the statue again. The long tail and small figure did look familiar to him. "So, you're Mew, huh? I guess I'll have to look for you too." He turned and stared down the path his friends ran down. Having no idea how long he had been out, he decided he would visit here again sometime soon. Leaping ahead, Art dashed swiftly ahead, ready to get chewed out by Ruby once he got there.

-

"Were you sleeping on the job again? You look like you had a rough one." Ruby was leaning her back against the stone wall, arms crossed and left leg propped up on the stone.

He was kind of glad they could tell when he's had a vision now. Saved him the hassle of bringing it up. "Yeah, at a Statue of Mew."

Ruby almost fell off the wall and recovered by scurrying up to the Riolu. "You mean the legendary one? What ya see? Did you see Mew? Wait, I never saw any damn statue."

"Woah, calm down. No, I didn't see Mew. The statue was just off the road, the way you guys were when you left, I would have been surprised if you did see it." He looked at Zaphiel, who's ears were tucked back a bit. Art guessed he must have been worried. "I heard me and 'Her' talking about the statue, and something about 'the end' and if I was prepared."

Ruby frowned. "Awe, I was hoping it was going to be interesting."

"No, that's good information." Zaphiel walked up beside Ruby. "If Art is right and this is a memory, he must have been here before."

"...You could be right. I don't know, though. We'll see once we get to the Cavern." Art looked forward and noticed that they were in fact at the entrance. Scyther was quite a distance away, but he could be seen inside the frozen arch gateway. "He been there the whole time?"

"Yeah, but his back is turned. I'm not sure if he knows we're here." Turning to their destination, Zaphiel stepped forward and lead the group inside.

-

Looking up from his resting position, Scyther noticed the group and stood up straight. Once they were in the ice filled cavern, he stepped up to them. "I'm glad you came. Now I must ask, do you, Twilight Brigade, accept my challenge?"

"Yeah, we accept. What do we have to do?" Artomis had a bad feeling about this. The environment around them was also an enemy if they had to fight. He came prepared for the worst, so nothing would stop him from doing what he had to do.

"You must... Beat my team in combat. Levinity! Kaltora! It is time!" The Scyther jumped back and landed on a block of ice in the deep waters behind him. From above, an Eevee jumped and landed next to the Scyther. Then from the water below, a Piplup burst out into the air and slid next to his team mates. "And I am Rosiv. We are The Chaotic Union! Prepare yourselves!"

Artomis was in shock. _Those were the same two I had spoken to before. The girl Eevee was cheerful and boy Piplup quite modest. I wonder how they would even know this Rosiv guy... _

The three opponents didn't waste any time, Rosiv dashed forward while Levinity and Kaltora went separate directions.

"Guys, split up. We'll each go one-on-one with these guys unless we see someone else struggling. Got it?" Taking a step back, Art watched Rosiv's movements and began to figure out a counter attack.

"I'll get the Piplup!" Zaphiel said, dashing to the right, releasing a few sparks from his cheeks.

"Guess I'll get the Eevee. Levinity... What a stupid name." Ruby chuckled as she made her way left towards her foe.

Rosiv was now closing in on Artomis, getting his blades ready to strike. Art waited for the perfect moment and jumped into the air. Rosiv had thrust his arms forward, completely missing his target, who in fact landed on the top of the blades. Once he got his footing, he kicked the Scyther in the side of its head, sending it to the ground on the first blow. He barely landed on his feet and watched as Rosiv hopped back to his feet almost as quick as he hit the ground. _This guy means business. _

-

"What makes you think you stand a chance against me girly? Aren't you too pretty to be part of an Exploration Team?" Ruby taunted the Eevee in front of her, waving a finger.

"Oh? You think I'm one of them you? Well, I guess I'll prove to you that pretty girls like me can be better explorers than just the regular, dull girls like you." Levinity grinned once she noticed her choice of words irritated the Sableye before her. "What makes you think that you're even worthy of being in one?"

Ruby smiled. "Oh, I'm more than qualified. It makes me wonder if someone like you is, thought. You wouldn't want to get your shiny coat all dirty." She let out a laugh as she took a step forward and readied her claws. "Anyway, I have a job I have to finish and you just happen to be the next stepping stone on my path!"

Launching forward, Ruby slashed at Levinity with a Fury Swipes attack, but the Eevee was able to nimbly dodge each attack thrown at her. Realizing that ability wasn't working Ruby faked another swipe, causing Levinity to move slightly to the right. With a smile, Ruby released a Shadow Ball attack that hit its target dead-on. Once the dust cleared, Ruby saw that the Eevee was nowhere to be seen. "Quit running away you coward!"

-

Jumping to the side, Zaphiel dodged the Water Gun attack from Kaltora. Zaphiel had been measuring the skills of the Piplup for a while now and was about to make his move. He watched as his foe began to go for another Water Gun. Just as the water left his beak, Zaphiel used a Thunder Bolt on the stream of water while it was coming toward him. He was shocked at the true intensity of the attack and watched as his electricity traveled all the way to the surprised Kaltora.

Then there was a puff of smoke. The Piplup was gone just before the attack connected and in his spot stood Levinity. She took the full blast and let out a sharp cry. It only happened in a few seconds time, but Zaphiel figured out the trick to this team with just one move. "I get it, you're a Baton Passer aren't you? You knew Kaltora was finished if that connected."

Still standing her ground, the smoking Eevee gave a smile. "Yeah, something like that. It was also to dodge another attack, but if I saved Kaltora I'm fine with it. Don't let that stop you from fighting me, though. I've been looking for a challenge, and just by that attack, I think this could be fun."

Zaphiel smiled back. "Oh no, the battle has just begun!"

-

"You don't stand a chance, kid." Rosiv used a X-Scissor attack on Artomis, who tried to jump back, but had little room because of the corner he had just been pushed to. As a result, the edges of the Scyther's blades scratched a small X on his chest._ I can't let things go his way. I need to find a way to turn this around. _

Rosiv took another step forward and swung his left blade down at Art. Bringing his arm up, Artomis blocked the attack with the plate of his arm. He then reached forward and grabbed the Scyther by his right arm and flipped himself over his foe. Once he was directly above him, he used his now open left paw and slammed his palm into Rosiv's head. To Art's surprise, a large barrage of golden energy left his hand, causing a blast and sending the bug into the hard wall. He landed by somersaulting into a kneel to stop his forward momentum. The blast seemed to affect him a bit as well, his head now in a daze just like when he shot the Aura Sphere before. "..What the hell just happened?"

He looked up at the bloody Scyther and quickly ran up to him. "Hey, you alright?" Looking down, he saw a piece of fabric on the ground. It looked like a Focus Sash, but it was completely black. "Wow, you're lucky. Here, take this." Reaching into his bag, Art pulled out an Oran Berry and popped it in Rosiv's mouth before he could refuse.

At first, Artomis thought it pissed him off, but a chuckle escaped the Scyther's wounded form. "That was one hell of a hit, kid. Just with that alone I think you might just be the ones to help us."

Artomis looked at him confused. "Well, if you say that, should we stop the others from fighting?"

Rosiv smiled. "No, let them fight. Everyone needs to train for what is to come. That was what this challenge was to see, the fact that the Twilight Brigade is big enough to fix their mistake."

Art's ears drooped. "You know about that, huh?"

With a Nod, Rosiv finally built up enough strength to get himself in a better position on the hard ground. He looked at Artomis' chest and smiled. "I got your ass good though. We're going to have to do a rematch after we beat Darkrai."

-

Ruby had to admit, that Eevee was annoying, but the Piplup she now faced was a pest. He wouldn't allow her to get close without find a way to blow her back with a Bubblebeam or a Water Gun. Standing about five feet away from Kaltora, Ruby dashed ahead. Once she got close, the Piplup jumped into the air. Ruby followed it, a grin forming on her face as she released a Shadow Ball at her target.

Kaltora tried desperately to push the attack back with a Water Gun, but the sphere had more power and first blew threw his attacks before colliding with the small penguin. He fell onto the ground, eyes shut tight.

Ruby landed less than a foot away from Kaltora and watched his motionless form for a moment. After she was convinced he was knocked out, he turned to where she last saw Art. She saw him sitting in the corner with the Scyther, watching Zaphiel and Levinity's battle. "Huh, I wonder if we can really trust these guys." She sighed, then showed a grin. "Oh well, might as well look for a random gem in the wall while I wait for them."

-

Leaping forward, Zaphiel used Agility and began running head first toward Levinity. She stood in place, hunched down on all fours. Once Zaphiel got close, She slightly lowered her head, then suddenly raised it, head butting Zaph's face with the back of her head. From the impact, Zaphiel flew into the air and landed just a few feet away. He struggled to get to his feet, but was determined not to give up.

Just as Zaphiel was going for another attack, Rosiv and Artomis both walked up, the Scyther clapping his blades together, Art guessed he was clapping for them. "That is enough. You three have passed the challenge. We don't need to do harm to one another when we all have a common enemy that will do it to us."

Zaph looked at Art with a questioning glance. "What? So these guys aren't bad?"

"No, in fact I think they want to help. We'll talk about it more once we get back to the Guild." Art let out a soft sigh. "But first we've got to get Ruby. I think she got her hand stuck in a hole in the wall saying she saw some rare gem or something."

-

"Why is it whenever you two return you're always hurt?! Do you not listen to a word I say?!" Faith had been scolding everyone as they got treated. "I swear, you're going to get yourselves killed if you keep this up!"

"We're fine Faith, we just had a little friendly competition." Zaphiel said with a smile. All Faith did was glare back at him as she continued to wrap a bandage around Art's chest. "So Rosiv, you said we passed, so what do you know of Team Break?"

The Scyther was sitting along with his partners on the ground across from the Twilight Brigade party. "In fact, the question would be what don't I know. The Scizor that is spoken of is in fact my older brother. His name was Zerak."

All three explorers looked at Rosiv in shock. Artomis quickly made the connection and smiled. "Alright! So you know about the item they used on Darkrai, right?"

Turning to Art, Rosiv nodded. "I fact, my brother was the one to find it in the first place. He called it 'The Peacekeeper.'"

Now a smile was showing on Zaphiel's face, which was a little bruised from the blow he took from Levinity. "And the big money question: do you know where said object is?"

Rosiv lowered his head. "That, unfortunately I do not know. However I do remember him saying something about hiding it somewhere safe. A place no one would ever look for it because it was in front of everyone. He said regular Pokémon are too stupid to look under their noses."

Ruby's attention quickly turned to the last phrase. "Sounds like a bad riddle. Your brother had a great attitude on how to look at others."

"I think it is a riddle, but I haven't been able to solve it. That's where you three come in." Rosiv stood up and looked down at the three warn out Pokémon in front of him. "The more we have working on the puzzle, the better. That search will start at the dawns first light. I hope you will be ready."

Art watched as the Scyther walked to the door, leaving his two comrades where they sat. "Where are you going?"

"I must see your Guild Master, there is much I need to discuss with him and so little time to do it." Adding a smile, Rosiv left the room and continued down the hall.

Turning towards the remnants of the team, Artomis smiled, really glad that they came out of this battle with friends instead of enemies this time. He noticed that Levinity seemed to have a small grudge against Ruby, but he figured it was personal and didn't want to get into it. _Well, let's just hope we find that Peacekeeper. I don't know how long we'll be able to keep the peace here in the Guild, let alone the rest of the world._


	8. Ch8 Sinking Feeling

_**A/N: **_**Alright, guess I should probably put this up, it's been a while! Guess fitting this into my schedule was a bit tougher than I thought at first. Once again, I don't own Pokemon, if I did, I would have made this into a game already. Enjoy the read! Please review!**

-

**Chapter 8 -- Sinking Feeling**

-

_"I knew they were behind this! Damn Team Synth!" _

_"Calm down, Artomis. We need to think this through." _

_"No! I'm done with that now! I've been sitting on the sidelines while they've taken everything from me! My home, my life... Hell, even my family is against me because of them! I've waited years to finally get this chance!" _

_"...Something just doesn't feel right. This isn't you!"_

_-  
_

Waking with a start, Artomis was panting heavily as he sat up. He grabbed his aching head and tried to calm himself down. _That wasn't supposed to happen... I wonder what that was? _He had truly wanted to recount his first vision again, but ever since he had seen it in front of Cyrus, he had not been able to see that particular memory. This was the first reaction he got, which was completely different than what he expected.

The room was still dark, only a few rays of light were shining in through the window. Looking over at the door, Artomis wondered if Cyrus would want to know about this.

"You okay, man? It sounded like you were having a nightmare."

Art jumped at Zaphiel's voice and turned to his friend's bed. He was sitting up as well, his ears drooped. "...I think I need to see Cyrus. I had another vision again."

"There's no need. I'm right behind you."

Jumping again, he turned around to see his Guild Master. "How long have you been there?!"

Cyrus opened his eyes and looked down at the Riolu. "I've been here long enough. Ruby sent for me when she heard you yelling in your sleep."

Feeling a bit sheepish, Artomis gave a slight nod. "Did you see anything this time?"

"In fact, I did. It seems we need to keep an eye out for this Team Synth. From what I understood, they sound like a dangerous group." Standing up, Cyrus walked up to the door and turned towards the two. "There is only a few hours until dawn, I suggest you both try to get more rest. We have a lot of work to do in the morning and I need you both to be at full strength." He then turned his attention to Artomis. "I am working on your problem as well, but I can only do so much until we start finding answers. Until then, we just got to do what we can to keep our home safe."

"I understand." Art didn't really want to talk about it anymore. He knew that his situation was the last thing on everyone's mind.

Once Cyrus left, Zaphiel got out of his bed and sat next to Art. "Hey man, your power seems to be getting out of control... Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'll live. I just need some sleep to get rid of this head-ache."

Zaph frowned. "Alright. I'm just hoping that you don't get yourself hurt in all of this. Each time you get a vision, it seems like you loose a part of yourself."

Giving Zaphiel a weird look, Artomis was unsure of what to think of his response. "Trust me, I can't hurt myself anymore than I already do. Let's just get some more sleep, we need to be ready for tomorrow."

Zaphiel hesitated before getting up and climbing back into his bed. "Just so you know, you're not alone in all this. You might be the only one who is suffering from your past, but you've got plenty of others trying to help prevent that pain."

A small smile formed as Art lay back down on his bed. "Thanks, Zaph. I know you all are working hard for me, I just hope someday, once this fog over my head is clear, I can return the favor."

-

"Pretty nose brat!"

"Ha, even your insults are weak. Let me ask, how did you even get allowed into this wonderful Guild?"

Ruby gave a growl to the Eevee across the table and turned to the opening door beside her, watching as Artomis and Zaphiel entered the dining room. "Ah, there you are! You guys ready for our search today?"

Smiling at Ruby, Art noticed that Levinity was giving her a death-glare. The Eevee was sitting next to her two comrades, who both looked a bit annoyed. "Yeah, I think we are."

Rosiv stood up and turned his attention to the Riolu. "Good. We're going to all search in town first. My brother was always quite fond of the place."

After nodding to the Scyther, Art then heard the doors behind him start to open again. He took a step forward and turned around to see Cyrus standing in the doorway. "You all will have to go on without Artomis. He has been summoned and must go with me to Shimmering Forest."

Ruby let out a disapproving grunt as she scurried up to Cyrus. "Awe man, why can't I go with you guys?"

"Your task is more important. Artomis will not be long before he joins you in your search." Cyrus patted the Sableye's head, and she looked up at him with a small glare. "Now now, don't get upset. It's not going to be fun, nor is there treasure involved."

"Xatu called for me? Why would he want me right now?" Art stared at his Guild Master, hoping for a reply.

Cyrus gave a shrug. "I have no idea what he wants. All he said was that it was urgent you and I went."

With a nod, Artomis let out a small sigh. He then rose his head back up and smiled at Zaphiel. "You keep the group in check. Just be careful with Ruby and Levinity."

The Pikachu gave a thumbs-up. "You got it, bro!"

Ruby gave a wierd look. "Hey! What do you mean 'be careful?'"

Smiling, Art turned to Ruby. "Oh, nothing. Just that you're evil and stuff."

"...Evil?" The Sableye showed a wicked grin. "Yeah, I guess I manage that pretty well, don't I?"

-

"Is he waiting down there for us? How are we going to fall down in that pit safely?" Art was looking off the remaining edge of the floor before the room that Artomis triggered to collapse, staring at the dark depths below.

"It would seem like he's down there, but how to get there is the problem." The Kadabra was peering above Artomis into the darkness. He took another step forward and placed his hand on Art's shoulder. "Trust me. I got an idea." Not even a second later, Cyrus pushed his arm forward, tossing Artomis down into the crater below.

Cyrus listened intently, waiting to hear the outcome of his quick thinking. Instead of a thud, Cyrus heard a slash from below. "Heh, guess my instinct was right." he said, just before jumping down himself.

The instant Cyrus hit the cold water, Artomis was back on the surface, coughing up all the water that he had choked on. It took him a moment to get his bearings together, but once his vision returned, Cyrus emerged from the water and caused water to flow right into his open eyes and mouth. He heard Cyrus say something, but it was muffled by the water in his ears.

Once his senses were in check, Artomis looked at Cyrus. He wanted to beat him up for pushing him off the ledge, but as Cyrus moved forward, Art looked ahead and saw Xatu standing on the shore of the underground lake. Watching Cyrus, he began to swim forward, towards the land ahead.

"Well, looks like a pair of Mudkip come to play on the beach."

Cyrus was soon able to stand in the water and began walking out of the water. "Mudkip? That's all you think of me as, Xatu?"

The green bird opened its eyes and smiled at Cyrus. "No, I suppose not. I must say, you respond quickly to my calling."

Cyrus returned the smile. "Would have been here quicker if it wasn't for a few Wild Pokemon."

Artomis had finally got to the shore line and stood waist deep in the chilled water. With his fur soaked, Art felt like he was as heavy as an Onix. He inhaled deeply, filling up his waterlogged lungs as much as he could. "So, what did you call us for Xatu?"

The Riolu took one step forward, but Xatu held out a wing. "Stand your ground, Artomis. I need you in the water for what we are about to do."

Looking at Xatu puzzled, Artomis felt a sudden tug on his leg. Before he knew it, he was back under the water again, this time being dragged by his leg. He fought the current and turned himself to see a blue tentacle wrapped around him. Looking up a bit more, Art soon realized he was being dragged by an Omastar. He tried to kick at the foe, but with how swift the Pokemon was, the current was too much.

His lungs began to burn, begging for the sweet taste of air. _Man, I need to think of something quick... I've only got one chance..._ Looking ahead, Art noticed a large rock to the right. He pushed himself as hard as he could the right, grabbing onto the rock, and kicking off with his open foot. This caused the Omastar to lose its grip on his leg and become disoriented. Art took this moment to rush to the surface to catch his breath. He hadn't been out of the water for two seconds before the Omastar grabbed onto him again and drug him back down by the arm. Feeling the hard shell against the palm of his paw, Artomis decided to try his new little trick again. He concentrated all his energy into that paw, then released. He watched as his paw flashed gold and knocked the Pokemon away.

This time, Art stayed under the water and tucked his arms to his side. He felt his head turn to flame as the power between his paws started to grow. Releasing the power ahead of him, Artomis watched as his gold Aura Sphere slammed into his target.

"Enough!"

A sudden flash of light blinded Artomis for a moment, but once he could see again, he was looking up at the bottom of an emerald tree. He noticed he was lying down and began to sit up, but once he moved, his mind was flooded with a rush of pain.

"Don't move too much. You'll only make it worse if you do."

"Ugh... What happened Xatu? How did I get here?" Rubbing his head, Art looked up and over to the lakes edge. He let out a gasp when he saw a bright object above the psychic bird. "Is that... My Aura Sphere?"

Xatu smiled. "Quite correct. You see, your friend Ruby here was given the task to knock you out. Once asleep, I put my influence on your dream to force you to use your powers. It was necessary to abstract it from you, but so far, you cannot willingly conjure it."

Looking beside Xatu, he saw Ruby hiding in the bird's shadow and Cyrus floating above the water, legs crossed. "Wait, I was asleep that whole time? Then why did it feel so real?"

"When the mind believes in something, the body believes the mind. As for the extraction, you made that real easy and have given me a lot to work with. I must say, you intrigue me more each time I see you." Xatu looked up at the glowing sphere just above him and closed his eyes. "Not just the color is different, but the feel to it... I must figure out why."

Artomis was now starting to get annoyed. "So is that all you needed me for? A sample of my Aura?"

Opening his eyes, Xatu turned back towards Art and smiled. "No, that was not the only reason, though it was the main one. I also know some information. Looking into your Aura, I have seen that you will find the answer you seek soon. In fact, you already know where to look for it."

Wishing Xatu would get to the point, Art slowly got back on his feet. Each movement brought a wave of pain, but he fought past it and walked up to the bird. "Answer to what? I have a lot of questions, so you'll have to forgive me on asking you to be more specific."

"Ah, a valid point. To put it differently, you are going to find the object to lead you to the truth on your current quest."

Cyrus' attention turned towards Xatu as he floated himself onto the land behind him. Art watched as Ruby walked up to Cyrus and whisper something in his ear. He found it odd on how secretive the two were, but Xatu soon caught his attention as well.

"With this Aura in my possession, I believe we may be able to unlock parts of your past. I just need more time to analyze it." Xatu turned towards the water behind him. "As you can see, I dont have much time left in this place."

"I've been meaning to ask, what is the deal with all the water? That wasn't here last time I came here." Artomis looked at the dark water and shivered. He never expected anything like that to happen.

Xatu turned back towards Art. "It is the result of the earthquake which brought you down here. It cracked and broke through the rock to an underground stream. Ever since, the room has began to fill at an alarming rate. It was urgent to get you here before I was forced to leave."

Giving Xatu an odd look, Artomis looked at the gold ball that still floated in the air. "Why was this place so important? It's just like anywhere else, right?"

"The tree's crystals enhance the power of the mind. It radiates Physic energy and held the Darkrai captive in a prison in the forests core."

Art brought his paw to his chin. "A Physic type barrier? But psychic isn't good against dark typed Pokemon... Why would you clash types to hold him here?"

Xatu smiled. "You have quite the knowledge on types, you are right, it should have never worked. The item used in the battle somehow has the ability to switch a type from no effect to massive damage."

"What? How's that even possible?"

"No one knows who created the item, nor do they have the knowledge of its power. It is said that the item contains dangerous power. I suggest once you find it, you treat it with respect."

Artomis gave a nod. He watched as Cyrus stood up and turned towards the two. "It is near dusk, you need to make the rest of this quick."

Xatu closed his eyes. "Time is such a cruel fate. Very well Cyrus. I am done talking for now-"

"_Until you sleep, that is. We shall speak then. No memories for you tonight, Artomis." _

"-And the boy needs rest. You all must get going to the Guild."

Artomis was shocked at the sudden mental link, but then gave a nod_. "Then I get to ask my questions, right?" _

_"Yes, anything you ask that I can answer, I will do so." _

He gave the bird a nod and stepped up to Cyrus and Ruby. "Yeah, let's get going. I want to see how the search went."

Cyrus gave a nod. "How are you feeling? You really put your heart into that attack with how large that sphere is."

"I'll live. That Magmar was worse than this was. Can't say I'll feel the same about lakes, though."

"You'll have to tell us what happened, Xatu would not allow me to see your dream."

He felt his lungs still tingling from the nightmare, but paid more attention to the migraine he had. "I'll tell you in the morning, I don't think I'm fully alive yet."

Cyrus gave a nod. "Yes, I understand." He turned towards Xatu. "You take care, old friend. Don't stay in this sinking crevasse till the end."

"Oh dear friend, in fact, I leave as you do. I have what I needed from here, I can leave it to its watery grave knowing my creation served its purpose." Xatu bowed his head. "Until we next meet, Twilight Brigade." In a flash of white, both Xatu and the sphere of aura vanished.

Artomis turned to Cyrus, crossing his arms. "You knew Xatu built this place, so you had known the origin of Shimmering Forest. Why did you send us on that mission in the first place? If you knew, then this shouldn't have happened!"

Cyrus looked down at the Riolu. "That was a mission that we have always given to new recruits so they can learn the feeling of defeat. You don't always succeed in missions, so we try to prepare you for it. I didn't actually think you would succeed, but you proved me wrong. Ask Zaphiel about his first time on that quest. He failed, but was determined to find the answer when given another shot. You made that come true, though the end result was not to be expected."

"Alright, I believe you, but I do have one more question..." He turn towards Ruby, who suddenly looked nervous. "How did you sneak up behind me this time. I didn't notice you at all. You got me good!"

Ruby's worry turned into confusion, then laughter. "Well, let's just say I trained a bit since you last fought me."

He gave a nod. "Good. We all need to get stronger and learn our own weaknesses before we fight Darkrai."

-

"Nothing? Not even a clue?" Art let out a sigh and sat at the table, holding his head. His head-ache would not go away, but he knew he had to eat something. He wanted answers, but no one seemed to know anything.

Zaphiel's ears were tucked back, a disappointed look on his face. "Yeah, searched high and low, asked tons of Pokemon, almost got into a fight, but still nothing."

Popping a berry in his mouth, Art closed his eyes. "Well, we'll go again tomorrow. I've got a good feeling about this."

Zaphiel crossed his arms. "Well, if we don't, we'll have to change where we look. I don't think it's in town, though. We searched everywhere."

Picking off the last piece of apple from his plate, Artomis popped it in his mouth and stood up. "Alright, I think it's time for sleep, my head's about to explode."

That brought a worried look to the Pikachu's face. "What happened to you, dude? You've been really messed up ever since you got back from the forest.

"I had a meeting with Xatu, but it wasn't what I expected." He began walking to the doorway and Zaphiel followed, listening intently. "Basically to make a long story short, he extracted some of my Aura so he could get more answers."

Zaphiel's ears cocked to the the side, giving a confused look as he opened the door for Artomis. "I don't get it... I guess it makes sense, but I don't know as much as Xatu or Cyrus, so I'll just trust them on that."

"Yeah, that's what I figured I'd do that too. They seem to be onto something, so might as well let them continue." Upon turning down the hall, Art noticed Rosiv outside their bedroom door. "I wonder what he wants..."

The two walked up to the waiting Scyther, who had noticed their arrival. "Tomorrow I'm moving my team to a new location. We want you two to stay here and search once more before you follow us. We are going to Hillside Ranch, which lies just north of Doom Grove." Rosiv began to walk away, but then stopped suddenly. "Oh, I forgot to mention that Levinity will be joining you. She insisted she stayed here to watch over you. Good luck tomorrow." He then continued to walk down the hall and turned the corner.

"...Well, he's not one for conversation, is he?" Zaphiel said with a sigh, before opening the door to their bedroom. "Alright, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow, you tell me everything that happened as we search for clues."

-

_"Ah, there you are. I was wondering if you would ever fall asleep." _

"Xatu, have you figured anything out yet?"

The green bird's form appeared before him. "Right down to business, I see. Very well, indeed, I have more information. In fact, I have recovered another lost memory."

Artomis' eyes went wide. "Really?! Can--"

"I must warn you. It is graphic compared to the last visions you have had. If you wish to see it, I can show it, but it could possibly take the whole night."

Art thought for a moment. "I can ask you my questions tomorrow night, I want to see this tonight."

"...Very well. I need you to clear your mind."

With a nod, Artomis closed his eyes and inhaled deep. After a moment, his mind felt a bit hazed before an image began to appear. There were three men dressed like the doctors he had seen before and they were surrounding a table with a figure in red lying on it.

_"You monsters! What are you going to do with us?!" _It was that girl. He couldn't see her blue form, but he knew it was her.

_"You should be honored! It's not everyday the master chooses a group of outsiders for one of our experiments." _The doctor to the left looked like it grabbed an object and walked up close to Artomis' vision point. He watched as the doctor thrust its arm forward and stabbed with what looked like a needle. Watching as the item turned a crimson red, the doctor smiled, and then pulled away. He moved up to the form on the table and stuck the needle into the still form.

_"What are you doing?! Mixing a human's blood with a Pokemon's?! That will kill him!" _

_"Shut up, you stupid bitch! Once we get this punk settled in, we'll have no use of you and throw you in the kennel like the dog you are!" _

Being pulled back from the memory, Art felt another wave of pain flow through him as he sat himself on the ground, finally able to see Xatu before him. "What was that?! It all seems so familiar..."

"That was extracted from your Aura with a little help from a previous memory. If you do not recall, you have seen these doctors before." Xatu walked up close to Artomis and put his wing on Art's shoulder. "This night is ending, but time will grant us another meeting tomorrow. Do not fret on these dreams while you are awake, that is the time you should be focused on the matter at hand."

"...Xatu, I have one question before you go."

The bird gave a nod. "Yes, make it quick. I do not have much time left."

The Riolu placed his right paw on his chest and closed his eyes. "I'm not so much worried about who I am or why I'm here... But Xatu, _what _am I?"

Giving him a stern look, Xatu turned away from Artomis. "You are neither human nor Pokemon, but a mix of the two." Xatu's eyes suddenly turned a solid red color. "Two souls trapped in one, the single form struggling to hold its body. Power flowing through the veins of the warrior about to burst at any given moment, releasing a dark entity created by confusion and destruction, causing the Dark Forces to reign over the Spear Pillar." Lifting it wings, Xatu turned back to Art, his eyes turning back to its usual yellow. "That is said to be what becomes of you in the future if you fail to master your Aura and fail to defeat Darkrai."

Artomis was speechless. It was almost like Xatu had just read to him a prophecy, but it was about the worlds end. "...I will try my hardest to beat him. I'll do it no matter what."

With a nod, Xatu began to float in the air above Artomis. "Until tomorrow, Aura Guardian." And with a flash, he was gone.

Alone once again, Art let out a small sigh. "What a day. Man, even when I'm asleep, I'm not resting... I need a vacation day."


	9. Ch9 Prelude to Darkness

_**A/N: **_**Well, I figured I'd give all my viewers a nice little Christmas gift of a fresh-from-the-notebook chapter! I rushed a bit to type this one, so let me know if you find any errors. As always, I don't own Pokemon (Wish I did), but none of the less, I hope you all enjoy this next segment! Please review!**

**-**

**Chapter 9 – Prelude to Darkness**

-

"Ah, it has been a while Ruby. I hope your search is going well."

"Yeah, I guess you can say that." The Sableye walked up to the Charizard, who was sitting on the hard stone floor. "I've found him, so I guess it wasn't much of a search. There's a problem, though..."

Through the dim lit cave, Ruby watched as her Master's expression turned grim. "He had better be alive, Ruby. If he's not-"

"Oh, he's alive and well, sir. It's just that he's not at all what we expected." She walked up to the large Pokemon and smiled. "Once I'm done with him, you'll have everything you wanted, but there is a group trying to help him recover his past and that could mean trouble."

The Charizard sat upright. "You mean to say he has no memory? Then what is the hold-up? Why do you not have him here right now?"

"Patience, Master. Along with his past, he has no idea how to control his own power. The boy won't do us any good until he masters it."

Charizard let out a grunt. "Very well, go back to the boy and see to it he learns his abilities, but do what you can to stall these memories from returning. You've been keeping a constant watch on him, right?"

The Sableye gave a grin as she leaned up against the large dragon's leg. "Yeah, I know everywhere he goes. He in fact trusts me almost as much as you do, my lord."

He gave a toothy grin in reply. "Good. This time, you shall not leave here today unrewarded. I noticed you no longer carry a Focus Band, you will be given another as well as other gifts for your good work."

"Working for you is always a pleasure, Master Trent."

-

"AH! Wake up Artomis!"

Jumping upright, Art's drowsy eyes quickly looking towards Zaphiel's bed. His foggy head took a moment to understand what was going on, but he noticed his best friend was standing upright, his back against the wall, a scared look on his face. "What's wrong?"

Zaphiel opened his eyes and was suddenly still. "...But she was just here. Damn it, Ruby! Quit freeking me out!"

Letting out a laugh, Artomis began to relax. He figgured it was nothing big, she did this kind of stuff all the time lately.

With a sigh, Zaphiel plopped down on the bed below."It's not funny! She was gonna attack me! Claws ready and everything!"

Confused, Art stood up and slowly walked up to Zaphiel's bed. His head began to burn slightly the more awake he got. "Attack? I don't think she would do that. Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"

Zaphiel shook his head. "No way, she was really here!"

"I believe you, but I don't think she meant harm. You know she likes to mess with us, just don't let it get to you."

Ears pouting, the Pikachu closed his eyes again. "She looked serious enough... If it was a joke, I don't think I got the punch-line."

-

Standing by the Town gate, Artomis watched as Zaphiel walked up to a Hitmonchan and started talking to it. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, trying to piece together Xatu's words the day before. "I already know where to find the answer, huh? Well, I guess I'll have to think of places I've been before and go from there."

"There you are, I was wondering where you two had gone. I looked all over the Guild, but couldn't find you anywhere." Levinity walked up behind Artomis, sitting on the ground next to him. "Find anything yet?"

"Nope, not even a clue. I'm going to check something out here in a minute, though."

The Eevee tossed him a questioning look. "What are you planning?"

"I have no idea, I'm just going by what pops into my head first." Artomis said, opening his eyes and stepping ahead. Levinity followed him as he made it to the well, getting the same familiar feeling that he had felt before. "So, if I were to try something crazy, what would you do?"

Levinity glared at him, "You better not do anything stupid, or I'll-"

"Alright, if that's how you feel, I'll be back soon!" Giving one final smile, Art climbed on the stone and fell into the well. He could hear Levinity shouting curses at him before he hit the cold water. Once under, he had a sudden memory lapse of the Omastar hit him. Struggling up to the surface Art coughed up a mouthful of water and tried to relax.

"Artomis! Are you alright?!" It was Zaphiel. He sounded worried, but Art knew that was going to happen from the start.

"I'm fine, just give me a minute down here and drop the bucket at the side of the well down. Don't forget to hold the rope!" He heard Zaphiel begin to say something, but Artomis couldn't wait anymore and dove back under the water. The odd sensation he felt grew stronger the deeper he went, but he couldn't pin-point an exact location. He had to close his eyes for a moment, but once he did, his mind flashed white. Everything around him started to pulse with energy, Art could feel it in his body. Those feelings then began to form an image in his mind, he soon noticed by moving his arm into his vision that it was just like actually seeing it.

He began to look around with his enhanced sight and soon made it to a little crevas, with a small yellow stone and a wierd looking object. He couldn't quite tell what they were, but he felt strongly that these were what he came here for. Grabbing both objects, Art rushed back up to the surface, gasping for breath as he struggled to keep himself afloat.

"Art! You back?!"

After a moment, he placed the two acquired items into the floating bucket beside him. "Pull up the bucket, I'll be right up!" Feelng the bucket leave his grasp, Art watched as it disappeared into the light above.

Pondering exactly how he was going to get out, he heard a scream come from Levinity up above. "Zaphiel! Drop that!" Suddenly, Art saw a bright yellow flash. In a desperate attempt to find out what happened, Art searched the rocky surface for a hole to get a grip on. Once he found a small one, he pulled himself majority of the way out of the water, bracing his legs on the smooth surface. He launched himself to the other side and grabbed onto the well, only to realize he had nothing to even grab on to. _Awe crap... Hey, I'm not falling! _He had found himself sticking to the wall, bits of energy were flowing trough his arms and legs, keeping him in position on the hard stone. _Alright, let's do this! _

-

"Man, what happened to me, Levinity?" Zaphiel's eyes were closed as he found himself somehow lying on the ground. His head cleared up quickly, but his whole body felt weird. He opened his eyes to see a surprised Eevee along with a few townsfolk looking his way. "What's going on?"

"Zaphiel!"

Standing up, Zaphiel rushed up to the well. He had forgotten that his best friend was still in there. "Art! Are you- Ah!"

Taking his last leap, Artomis jumped out of the well on to the grass on all fours. He stood upright and looked around, at first confused, then he too had a surprised look on his face once he saw Zaph.

Zaphiel let out a sigh, "Alright, am I missing something again? I just get the feeling-- wait, what happened to my voice?" Astonished, Zaphiel moved his hands over his throat. His voice was deeper than before and when he turned back to look at Artomis, he took a step back.

"Is that really you Zaphiel?"

"Of course it's me! Who else would I be?"

"How did you evolve? I thought that a Pikachu needed a Thunderstone to do that."

"Evolve? Wait, what are you-"

Levinity walked up in between the two and set down a clear stone. "This _was_ a Thunderstone until Zaphiel grabbed it. It was covered in muck when he first picked it up, so even I had no idea what it was at first."

Looking down at himself, Zaphiel gave the biggest smile Artomis had ever seen. "Wow, I can't believe this! There have been Pikachu who search their whole lives just for a Thunderstone, but I got one!" Jumping for joy, Zaphiel almost fell over in his own laughter.

"That's amazing! I haven't seen a Pokemon evolve in quite some time."

Jumping upright, Zaphiel's ears perked to the new voice, his face more stern. "Yeah, you're right. I haven't seen an evolution since the night of no moon." He soon found the source of the voice and he almost collapsed. "Oh wow, a Blaziken!"

Turning to the fire Pokemon, his eyes went wide. Art felt a sharp flare in his head and collapsed down to one knee. _Who is that...? Why is this happening to me now? _

"-He's fine! Hey, Art! Come on man, snap out of it." Zaphiel said as he was holding the weak Riolu up. Artomis slowly opened his eyes and the Raichu gave an odd look. "...Did you have blue eyes before you dove in the well?"

Struggling to get on his own feet, Artomis returned the glance. "No, they were red. Why?"

Zaphiel's ears drooped, "Well, here's a news flash for ya: they are now."

-

"He checks out fine, just like any other time you bring him to me. All I have to say is that if I leave the room like last time I patched him up, someone will pay." Faith was examining the Riolu's head as she smiled at Zaphiel. "Congratulations on evolving, by the way. I'm just sad I missed out on it."

Returning a grin, the Raichu sat down next to Artomis. "Thanks, Faith. So have you looked at his eyes yet?"

Faith let out a small grunt, "I'll get there once I'm finished looking at this. Just hold your Rapidash for a moment."

Letting out a small chuckle, Artomis crossed his arms and closed his eyes, keeping perfectly still as Faith continued to examine him. His mind once again blanked out of his usual thoughts and gave him an image of the surrounding area. He could see Zaphiel, who seemed to have a heavy yellow glow over him, and Faith, who had a light white. Turning his attention to the doorway, he saw two forms standing just outside. One was small and brown, Art guessed it was Levinity, and the other was a harsh red. He believed it was the Blaziken.

"Whoa, what are you doing Artomis?"

Breaking his concentration, the Riolu opened his eyes and looked at Zaphiel. He no longer felt Faith's gentle touch on his head, that's when he figured he was doing something weird again. "What was happening? I wasn't paying attention." Zaphiel was just giving him a blank stare, so he turned to Faith. "How about you tell me?"

She let out a giggle, and then grew serious as she looked into his eyes. "Hmm... Well, you're quite the queer one, aren't you? I wonder what this could mean for you."

"That, and your new little trick of levitating the black ear-things on your head."

It took a second for Art to even come close to understanding what Zaph had meant. He then lifted a paw and lightly patted one of the hanging strands just below his ear. "Well I think I'm actually learning something for once. I can see you guys with my eyes closed. In fact, Levinity and the fire chicken are entering right about... now."

With a creek, the door to Faith's office opened right on Art's cue. In walked the calm Eevee and the large bird. Artomis jumped when he saw it, seeing it was a female. "Well, that's a rare sight. You don't see many Blaziken, but even more so a girl. I wonder how one like yourself ended up here." He hadn't even thought of what he had said. It just kind of flowed out of his mouth, and now he kind of felt like a fool.

She gave him an odd look, but didn't really seem like she was paying attention to what he said. "Is it normal for a Riolu to have blue eyes?"

Zaphiel sighed, "And welcome back to the conversation we had five minutes ago."

Stepping behind Zaphiel, Faith did a single Double-Slap to the back to the Raichu's head. "So rude! Learn your manners boy-o!" Straightening herself, the Chansey smiled at the new guests. "In fact, no it not normal, especially when his eyes were red this morning when I saw him at breakfast."

"Even more strange. Anything else been happening to you, kid?" The Blaziken took a few steps forward, staring at his small form.

He let out a small laugh, "At this point, what hasn't happened to me would be an easier question."

She held out her hand, smiling. "The name's Trinity. It looked like you were about to die when you first came out of that well. I'm glad you're feeling better."

Returning the smile, Artomis reached out and shook her hand. Then from nowhere, he felt Ruby's presence behind him. "Nice try Ruby, but don't take my apple. I might want that later."

Appearing next to Art, she looked at him with a pout. "Damn, got ya once and got cocky. I'll have to try harder--"

"On to more important matters," Levinity interrupted, stepping forward and setting a green object on the ground. "Trinity and I have been looking over the other object you brought up along with the stone, but we can't figure out what it is."

Ruby let out a small growl and was mumbling something to herself before she took a good look at the object. "That doesn't look like an object that holds great power, it looks like a piece of junk."

"Looks can be deceiving, Ruby. Take a closer look." Cyrus walked into the room being followed by Rosiv and Kaltora.

"Oh really? What are you seeing that I'm not?"

The Kadabra walked up next to Levinity and made the circular object float up to his eye level. "In fact, I believe we are looking at a key."

Ruby sighed, "Yay, a key. I mean, that's kind of lame. Why couldn't he just leave the weapon there?"

Artomis gave Ruby an odd look, "The Peacekeeper is a weapon? When did you find that out?"

Cyrus turned towards Art and almost replied, but he hesitated at the sight of his eyes. "...Rosiv told us about his findings when he returned. What has become of you, though?" Looking to the Raichu to his right, he almost lost his concentration in shock and the key wavered in the air. "You two have a lot of explaining to do."

-

"You seem to be learning about your Pokemon self quickly, but your human form is starting to fight back, it seems. I shall have to discuss your condition with Xatu later and see what he recommends." Cyrus was sitting in his chair, staring at the Riolu from across his desk. He then picked up the used Thunderstone and looked over at the new Zaphiel. "And you must be very happy, you've been searching a while for one of these. You better not show Froan or he'll want to fight you."

Zaphiel's expression turned grim, "Ugh, maybe I'll lay low for a while. I'm not quite used to this yet."

Letting out a laugh, Cyrus flipped out a book and laid it on his desk. "There's no need. I'm sending you on an exploration with the Chaotic Union to find the Peacekeeper. They found an entrance at the foot of a mountain near and it was locked. I think this might be what we need to get inside."

Trinity stepped forward, a look of concern on her face "It looks like you guys might need some help on defeating this Darkrai. I think I'm going to find my partner, and then I'll meet you at the cave."

Cyrus gave a nod, "We need all the help we can get. I just hope that we will be strong enough to defeat it once and for all."

"Alright, then it's settled. I shall see you all there." Trinity began to turn away, but took one last glance towards Artomis. "Hey kid, I could use company going back. You want to come?"

Unsure of what to answer, the Riolu turned towards Zaphiel, who gave a shrug. He then turned to Cyrus, who had his eyes closed. "I think I should stay here. I need more information about the situation and possibly find out what's up with me."

With a nod, Trinity walked up to the door when Ruby ran up next to her. "Wait! Mind if I go?"

"I don't care, but you better be fast, 'cause I'm not going to slow down for you."

Ruby smiled as she ran up and opened the door, "Oh, no worries there. We race all the time, I'm used to it."

Once both of them were out of the room, Zaphiel let out a relieved sigh, "You know, she still gives me the creeps."

"Me too, I'm glad Ruby's gone." Levinity sat down next to Zaphiel, a small smirk forming on her face. "As for us, I think we should prepare soon and head out once we get word that everyone is healthy enough to go."

Zaphiel nodded at the Eevee and turned his attention over to Cyrus, "How soon can we get a hold of Xatu? I mean, all you psychic Pokemon are linked in a way, right?"

Cyrus let out a grunt, "It's not as easy as you make it sound, but I believe I shall have answers by morning. You are to prepare for the trip in the mean time and get some well deserved rest." He turned his attention to Art, "I don't want you viewing memories tonight if you can, Artomis. I know you have some control in your dreams now, so be wise on your actions tonight."

At first, Art was kind of shocked when Cyrus knew about his new sleeping methods, but then he thought about it and came to terms that Xatu most likely told him. "I'll try not to. I can't make any promises that one won't just pop up, though."

"I understand. I shall see you tomorrow morning, as soon as the sun's rays touch the horizon." With a bow, Cyrus and the floating key disappeared in a white light.

Letting out a chuckle, Zaphiel stood up and smiled at Art. "I really wish that guy would learn how to use a door for once. All that warping around can't be good for him, he's starting to get lazy."

-

Sitting in the dark void of his mind, Artomis began to ponder what he was even going to do in the eight hours of free-time he had. Standing up, he moved himself away from his body on the bed and stood just before the window. He looked at the dark night sky and let out a sigh. _There's got to be something productive I can do, just standing here isn't going to help. _Hearing Zaphiel groan in his sleep, Art turned towards his friend and showed a slight smirk.

_"Artomis... Don't fall victim to the world of darkness..."_

"Huh? Who is that?" Looking around, he tried to find the source of the new voice, but no one was in sight. "What do you mean by that? Who are you?"

_"I am... an old friend. You must take caution before you continue to fight, or you will lose yourself completely. Your power is going to cause you to go Wild if left uncontrolled." _

The new presence indeed sounded worried, but Art didn't know if he could just trust everyone by voice alone. "Well, 'old friend', would you mind telling me how to control myself, then?" The female voice was starting to annoy him much like Xatu did at times.

_"There is only one answer you must make to decide your fate. The question will be from you to yourself, and at that time, the world's fate will be decided as well as your own." _

"From me to myself? Damn man, why do things keep coming at me in the forms of riddles? What do you mean?" Waiting for a moment, Artomis let out a sigh when a reply never came. "Just like everyone else, only a bit of information that leaves me confused as all hell in the end."

Looking out of the window, Artomis watched the dark sky, wondering how long it had been since he first fallen asleep. He heard Zaphiel start to get out of his bed and turned to see what he was up to. Zaphiel was soon right next to where Art was standing and let out a sigh of his own. "I wonder if she'll come. I hope so, but if not, I wouldn't be surprised."

Wondering what the Raichu meant, Artomis was about to speak out, but then remembered that he was still asleep. He wanted to wake up and figure out what was going on, but his body refused to move.

"Are you sleeping...?"

Watching Zaphiel turn towards the doorway, Art saw Levinity soon step inside the room. He watched as Zaphiel gave the Eevee a smile. "Hi there, so what did you want to talk with me about?"

"Well, I think I want to join your guild." She seemed a bit tense as she walked up beside the Raichu, practically standing right inside Art. He had to step back, thinking he would bump into her. "I've kind of talked it over with Rosiv and Kaltora already, but I'm not sure what they thought of it."

Standing there in shock, Zaphiel turned back to look out of the window again. "Well, so sudden to wanna join. I mean, we haven't even gone on the exploration yet. Shouldn't you see if you feel the same after fighting by our sides for the first time? I mean-"

"I know, but fighting against you guys proved something to me. I need to get stronger, just like everyone else, to help this world. With Rosiv, I just don't..." She hesitated a second, taking a moment before continuing her statement. "I feel that your Guild can provide more exciting adventures than a wondering Team could. Chaotic Union is great and all, but you seem to have something going and I want to be a part of it."

Taking a second to let it all sink in, Zaphiel's expression was grim. Taking a closer look, Art began to think something else bothered him. "If you are certain, I'll gladly invite you, but just to be safe, I want you to leave them in good terms in case you ever want to leave the Twilight Brigade."

She looked at him, surprised of his response. "...Yeah, I understand. You know, you're smarter than you think you are. You should do this kind of thing for your team more often."

"I've not the slightest notion in my noggin for that. Only few people will witness the genius trapped inside my mind, be glad you were chosen to hear it."

Letting out a small laugh, Levinity looked out the window. "Shouldn't it be morning soon? I'm surprised the sun isn't up already."

"I thought so too... I think something is wrong. Watch that pitch black cloud right there, it seems different from the rest."

When Artomis turned to look out of the window, his eyes went wide when he saw the black form of the very beast they hunted floating just outside. He took a single step back when the Darkrai flew right up face-to-face with the Riolu. "You will fail. There's no way you can win. I rule dreams of humans and Pokemon alike, you are no different."

"So you know what I truly am, but my guess is that you won't tell me anything unless I join you, right?" The Riolu tucked his arms to the side and started to conjure an Aura Sphere. "Screw that, never in my life!"

The force in front of him gave a laugh. "Heh, no, you have me all wrong. I don't need you. I planned on killing you all in the first place, thought I must be thanking you for releasing me from my prison. Here, let me give you a gift to remember me by!" Reaching forward, Darkrai clasped one hand around Artomis' sphere and caused it to dissipate, then grabbed his arm. "Tonight, you will all fall to the darkness!"

Letting out a scream, Artomis' body was flooded with a wave of pain. He tried to push away, but his body wouldn't move an inch. _No... You won't win. We will beat you and stop your madness!_

"Ha! You flatter me with your courage, but that will be your downfall!"

Waking with a start, Artomis sat up holding his left arm. It burned really bad from the Darkrai's attack. He slowly opened his squinting eyes to see both Zaphiel and Levinity at the side of his bed. He pulled his numb arm in front of himself to take a look at the damage and almost gagged.

The Raichu looked up at Art with a horrified expression, "Holy cow! Artomis, get your ass out of that bed! We need to move!"


	10. Ch10 Shadow Takeover

_**A/N: **_**Alright, so it's been a while. Damn school's been hitting me hard along with birthday parties, so little free time to write while doing stuff like that. I made this chapter really good for ya to make up for it though, so I hope you like it! Once again, I don't own Pokemon, though one day I do want to work (or visit, at least) at Nintendo. Please Review!**

-

**Chapter 10 -- Shadow Takeover**

**-**

"So you're saying Darkrai attacked you in your dreams and burned your arm? Let me see the wound." Looking over Artomis, Cyrus continued to investigate the situation at hand. "This is odd, I've never seen a mark like this before."

Zaphiel's ears tucked back against his head, "What could this mean? What do you think will happen, Cyrus?"

The Kadabra had a nervous expression, which was the first time Artomis had ever seen him worried. "This, along with the current darkness outside, means that Darkrai must be making his move. Expect that he already has followers under his command, waiting to tear us apart when we go to face him."

"What about my left arm? I still can't move it and it's been over a hour now. Do you have any idea how to cure that? I can't be walking into the final battle handicapped." Looking at the now unless limb, he stared at the crimson hand-print on his arm. Where the mark was, he could feel a burning sensation, but couldn't feel or move it in any other way.

"You might just have to sit back as support for this fight. You're in no condition to be going against a foe as strong as this." Faith chimed in, also examining Artomis' arm. He hadn't even noticed she was there until then.

"He will be needed in the exploration, but being out of combat would be most preferred so we all come back in one piece."

Artomis looked down to the ground, feeling helpless in the current situation. "Well, if even Boss-man here thinks I should sit out, I guess I will." Lifting his head, he then tossed a serious glance at his Guild Master, "But if anyone is in trouble and there's anyway I can help, I won't be stopped from saving them."

Cyrus nodded, "Fair enough. I want everyone prepared to leave at the top of the hour. We have wasted enough time trying to figure out what he is doing. His power grows in our delay, so get ready quickly."

-

"I wonder where Trinity and Ruby are. Didn't they say they would meet us here?" Looking around the wooded area, Artomis felt a bit uneasy. The area was quite dark from the lack of sunlight, but they had no trouble finding the area. Looking up at the black clouded sky, he scratched at the new sleeve he had holding up his paralyzed arm. He then looked back down and gazed at the crimson claw mark that sat there and began to feel uneasy. "Do you think we should wait? I mean, who knows what will happen once we open that door."

Rosiv let out a sigh, "We have no time to wait. They will have to catch up with us as we move on, now come over here. We're almost at the base of the mountain."

Catching up with the group, the Riolu ran up the small hill and watched as through the trees he could see a solid brown stone wall. He looked up to try and see the peak of the mountain, but the trees were making that difficult. _Great, I'm getting all excited about this, but I can't do anything. Kind of lame, but I got to live with it for now. _

Once the group was standing in front of the large stone base, Rosiv began to drag the tip of his right blade against the hard surface. He looked to be following a specific path with the way he controlled his blade. The Scyther soon took a few steps to his left and waited until his blade sunk into the hard stone. Once it did, a smile formed on his face. "Right here. This may look like a solid wall, but truly there is nothing here. Watch me and follow."

For a moment, the group stared in awe as the green bug slipped right past the brown stone and disappeared. For a moment, no one moved, but Cyrus soon gave a nod and followed Rosiv inside. Kaltora turned to the remaining party and smiled, "Don't worry, this is the easy part. Let's go and get that thing then kick some Darkrai ass!"

Watching the excited Piplup, Artomis couldn't help but smile himself. "Alright, lead the way. Just don't run into any walls."

"Right! Like I would be stupid enough to do that!"

"Kaltora! The entrance is-" Levinity tried to warn him that he was too far left than where the entrance was, but he stepped forward and smacked his beak right into the solid stone. Both Artomis and Zaphiel let out a laugh as Levinity struggled to hold hers in.

Rubbing his beak, Kaltora let out a sigh. "I guess I deserved that... You go first, Levinity."

The Eevee showed a smile, "So it's ladies first after you look like a fool? Nice try, but I'm going after Zaphiel."

"I'll go in, just be sure to follow close." Artomis said, stepping ahead. He took a look at the stone in front of him and inhaled deep before walking into the tricky entrance. Once inside, Art could hardly see anything with how dark it was. "Cyrus? Rosiv? Where are you guys?"

"Whoa! Look out!"

Turning around to see what the commotion was behind him, Artomis barely jumped out of the way just before Kaltora and Zaphiel plowed through together. They both fell to the hard ground with a loud thud and caused Art to sigh. "I hope you guys aren't crushing Levinity."

"They couldn't get that lucky." The Eevee soon stepped into the dark room with a smile on her face. "So who was here first? Zaph or Kal?"

Artomis scratched his head, wondering how they could race at a time like this. "Hard to tell when you're trying to avoid a collision. I'd have to say it was a tie."

Zaphiel's ears twitched slightly as he let out a small sigh, "Damn, so close to victory only to tie."

"Good, everyone is inside." Out of the darkness came Cyrus, who walked up to the party and gave a nod. "The entrance is this way. Don't lose sight of me, there are a few holes in the floor here and no one knows what would happen to you if you fell."

"Simply put, watch your own ass as well as the Pokemon's in front of you." Zaphiel said with a laugh, but his voice echoed alone in the dark catacombs. "Awe man, my humor is wasted on you guys!"

-

"This is as far as we can go. Take a look at these markings, Cyrus."

"Hmm... For once, I'm stumped. I do not know this language. It seems to be a message of some kind, but what it says is beyond my knowledge." Both the Kadabra and Scyther gazed at the stone wall in front of them, trying to translate the red smeared words covering the surface. They had not moved an inch in the half hour the party pondered. "...This is just a thought, but I think I want Artomis to take a look."

Ears twitching, the Riolu turned to his Guild Master and gave a slight nod. He was not really paying attention to the situation, his mind on the dream from the night before. Once he could visibly see the text, he almost fell to the floor in shock. "I can read this! But how the hell-"

Cyrus gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Now is not the time to question yourself, but the time to take advantage of the unknown."

Letting out a sigh, Artomis began reading the inscription on the wall. "_For you who seek a ray of light in the cloud of darkness, your truth will lead you astray. Peace to be upheld by the keeper of the blade will be hindered by hatred, fueled by rage. Warriors of the light clash with forces of dark, only to renew a war that has killed millions in the ages. Lost ones will be found where those who remember will suffer._" Once finished, Art felt his head start to pound. He didn't understand any of it, but he felt all eyes on him, waiting eagerly for a response.

"It sounds like a prophecy. Almost like there's something about the weapon that we don't know about..." Cyrus put his hand to his chin and gazed at the wall.

"Wait, like what? We know what it does. I mean, that is all that's really important, right?" Walking forward, Zaphiel lightly patted Art's back. He had begun to notice whenever his friend was in pain. The Riolu was really good at hiding it, but there was a look in his eyes that told him everything. "I think you're just over reacting."

Glaring at the Raichu, Cyrus held up his index finger, "My first point: '_your truth will lead you astray,_' that indicates what we might know to be false. Then it mentions who is wielding the blade will have negative effects, or negative thoughts. The third part states that this could bring a troubling future with much conflict-"

"Alright, you've proved your point. I think-"

"I'm not finished. This is important and you should listen closely. '_Lost ones will be found where those who remember will suffer_...' I fear that means trouble for our friend here as he learns more of his past." Kneeling down to look at Artomis eye-to-eye, Cyrus gave him a worried look. "I do not know what this could have in store for you, my friend. I need to know if you are willing to go through with this even with this warning in mind. I do not know why this prophecy mentions your very being. Then again, I could also be mistaken, but it seems as though you were meant to read this message."

Thinking on it, Artomis fully understood where Cyrus was coming from. "Well, if I do take this path, according to this prophecy, I will remember my past. I think not knowing will kill me faster than the suffering predicted."

"Alright, then with your choice, you shall open the door itself." Extending his arm, Cyrus held his hand out and placed the key into Art's paw.

Looking down at the round key, he began to feel his head calm down. So many thoughts were rushing through his head, but he forced himself to think of the matter at hand. Looking up and down the wall, Artomis found the hole for the key right in the center of the text. _Well, it's now or nothing. I hope this doesn't turn out as bad as Cyrus predicts. _

-

"Ugh, will you hurry up? We're late enough already!"

"Hold on just a second, I'm almost finished." Trinity was standing next to an impatient Ruby, gazing at the solid rock formation in front of them.

"You guys take forever! Man, the Twilight Brigade could be dead by now." Ruby walked up to the stone and turned back towards Trinity. "Where's your partner, anyway? And why the hell wouldn't you let me meet her?"

"So many questions... Just don't worry. She'll be here, but before she arrives, I want to figure out how to get inside." Placing her hand on the wall, the Blaziken let out a small sigh. "I wish they would have waited. I've got questions that I need answers to."

Ruby slowly began to rock back and forth, an annoyed look on her face. "Yeah, about that... Thanks for answering mine, but I'm sure after all this you'll have plenty of time to- Ah!" Ruby had meant to lean on the rock behind her, but fell right through the hidden entrance.

Looking at where the Sableye used to be, Trinity couldn't help but smile. "Well, I think we just found it."

-

"Wow, is it getting hot in here or is it just me?" Levinity let out a soft sigh as the party continued down the narrow tunnel.

"No, it's not you. It seems as though we are getting close." Continuing to lead the pack, Cyrus marched on, his gaze harsh on the dark, narrow path before them.

Being last in line, Artomis slowly began to feel useless again. Opening the door to this inner catacomb raised his spirit for a moment, but once his mind began to wonder on the message written there he couldn't help but feel a bit worried. He slowly reached his good paw over and began to rub where the mark was on his bad right arm. _I wonder if this will go away when we defeat him. If not, will I be paralyzed when I become human again? Damn it, I don't have much time to figure anything out... I've got to think- _"Whoa!"

Feeling a rush of air, the Riolu let out a small scream as he fell into the floor. His body hit the side and dragged roughly against the stone as he fell several feet, only to land hard on his back in a pile of sand. He was thankful that he landed face-up, but not so much after the aftershock splashed a load of sand on his face. It took a moment for the daze of the ride to wear off, but once he was himself, he could hear all his guild mates calling down to him. "Ugh, I'm fine. Can you guys see to the bottom?"

"No, it's way too dark. We're gonna find a way to get you out of there bro!" It was Zaphiel. Had the typical worried voice once anything happened to Art, that made the Riolu chuckle a little.

"Alright, you guys be sure not to pull a me and fall down, I'm an idiot. Just- Wait, what is that?" As he was sitting up, he looked ahead and saw a white ring on the floor about 30 feet away, but everything all around and inside the ring was covered in darkness. He figured he was pretty much in the worst situation possible right now and decided to take a look as his friends figured out a rescue. Once on his feet, he slowly made his way towards the bright ring, his body still a bit unstable. He had noticed that his left arm had been dangling at his side the entire time, not even feeling the sling around his body anymore. Little did he care about that, only on the goal he just set in his head. Once he was next to the white ring, he inhaled deep and reached his right arm forward to touch it.

As the tip of his paw touched the glowing surface, a flash of light blinded him and knocked him onto the hard ground, almost crushing his tail under his back. After letting out a small whine, he recovered and sat upright, opening his eyes. The room was now bright, the center which held the white ring now pulsed from the floor in the same pattern. He felt his right paw was clenched, but when he tried to relax his arm, it wouldn't release. Looking down at his arm, he let out a slight gasp.

"Art! What the hell did you do?! How did you turn on the lights, dude?"

As soon as he heard Zaphiel's voice, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "You guys need to get me out of this hole quick. Things are getting messed up again."

-

"Finally, something that says 'Hey, we've been here!', though I don't understand why they had to blow up the wall to do it." Ruby poked at one of the large boulders on the ground, looking at the odd lettering on its surface. "What do you think they're up against? This place has got to be rough."

Trinity gave her a glare, "What do you mean? I'm sure they would be able to handle anything thrown at them. The Kadabra alone could explore this cave and be fine."

Ruby walked past the rubble, a sigh leaving her lips as she continued on the path behind the giant bird. "The Riolu of the group is having a lot of problems right now. In fact, a few nights ago Darkrai placed a curse on him in his dreams. It's been doing some weird stuff to him."

The Blaziken then looked at her seriously, "Then why is he on this exploration?"

"Cyrus wanted him, said he could be needed or something." Ruby stretched her arms out over her head and wrapped them behind her head.

"By the way, what is the Riolu's na--" As Trinity was asking her question, the cave suddenly lit up, causing the both of them to squint for a moment.

"We need to move, we're running out of time!" Dashing forward, the Sableye rushed ahead of the Blaziken.

Trinity let out a sigh as she followed her companion._ Damn, why can't I get a name from any of these Pokemon? She's right though, they've done something! _

-

"Thanks for grabbing me, Cyrus. I was stuck down here otherwise."

"Once I could see it was no problem. I can't Teleport to areas I don't know, but just one look at the area is all I need." Looking at the Riolu on the ground, Cyrus soon noticed the object in his paw. "That... That's the Peacekeeper!" Looking past the blade, he noticed that his right arm now possessed the same mark the left had, but only it was a gold color. "What is this world doing to you? There's got to be a reason for all this."

"I would like to know too, but now's not the time for that. We got what we came for, so let's go beat Darkrai." Artomis slowly got back to his feet, his tail seemed to take the most damage, but he wouldn't let that hinder him. He looked down at the dagger he held, gazing at the bright white hilt in awe, but then at the black blade. The blade was as dark as night and had a hook at the tip. It looked to be quite a vicious weapon. "I can't let it go, Cyrus. I think I'm stuck with it."

"What? Now that's not what was planned. Here, hold out your hand." Once the Riolu obliged, Cyrus placed his hand on the hilt. Instantly, he was knocked back, head first into a wall.

As Artomis turned to help Cyrus, he became instantly paralyzed and fell to his hands and knees. Then he heard words escape his own lips in a voice not his own. _"The boy is mine now, I suggest you fools leave." _

-

"Are we there yet? This place is so annoying, there's not a single piece of treasure."

"Quiet! I hear something!" Listening intently, Trinity hears someone yelling. Her eyes went wide once she realized it was Cyrus, then she realized he was even using telepathy for his calling.

"_Darkrai is here! We need help Twilight Brigade_!"

Turning the corner, she then watched Zaphiel jump down into a hole, only to be followed by the others shortly after. "Alright, finally! Come on Ruby!"

"Way ahead of you, chick!" The Sableye was already jumping down the hole before Trinity even knew where she was at.

Letting out another sigh, she walked up to the edge and looked down. Watching a Piplup scurry ahead into the fray, she couldn't help but to wonder where her partner was. "We need you. You can solve this once and for all."

-

Zaphiel stared wide-eyed as Artomis jumped forward and slashed with his new blade at Rosiv, who parried his attack with his own blade and countered with a slash to his only good arm. "Why are you attacking him?! What is going on?!"

_"I shall explain it to you." __  
_

Just above the white ring on the ground formed a large black cloud. A massive dark figure soon floated in the air before them. "Your friend here is a fool. I knew first hand that your Riolu would find my sword first. He is much more talented than the rest of you, and his will was easy to bend when he left himself wide open. Nice of his Guild Master to teach him how to protect his mind rather than letting him wonder in the world of dreams."

Instantly, Artomis changed direction and dodged an attack from Rosiv, jumping towards Zaphiel. The Raichu watched as Art's left arm tucked back and began to charge an Aura Sphere. Looking closely, Zaph noticed that there were red streaks inside of the sphere. That's when he knew Art was really lost to Darkrai.

Once the blast was released from his hand, Zaphiel jumped to the side and watched as the ball blew a hole in the floor where he once stood. The possessed Riolu landed directly in front of Zaphiel and tucked his arms back again. _"Fight me!" _

All Zaphiel could do was stare. He wasn't sure if he was scared, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't speak. Once he noticed the enemy ahead of him fake a punch, he jumped over his friend avoiding the Low Kick performed.

As Artomis was about to follow the electric Pokemon, Trinity countered his attack with a Blaze Kick. It landed on his chest, causing him to fly into the wall. The Darkrai began to laugh, which caused the Blaziken to turn. "You're next big guy, so I wouldn't laugh. Do it now!"

Hearing a cry from his left, the Darkrai turned to see a charging Piplup and Eevee. He swung his arm to use a Shadow Claw, but instantly the Eevee jumped and disappeared along with the penguin. His attack missed and in the place of his two attackers came Cyrus and Rosiv, using a Thunderbolt and X-Scisor moves. As both attacks struck, Darkrai was also struck in the back with an Iron Tail attack and a Steel Wing attack. Darkrai stammered for a moment, but was quick to recover. "You're all a bit too close for my liking." With a twist of his arm, Darkrai conjured a Dark Pulse which sent all five fighters flying in different directions.

Cyrus doubled over in pain as he landed on the ground, causing Zaphiel to jump forward in his defense. "That's it! I've had enough! Thunder-"

Bursting out of the pile of rocks that covered him, Artomis rushed at the Raichu and landed a Force Palm on the Riachu's stomach before slashing down with his blade. Zaphiel got lucky and actually began to fall over after the first attack, causing Art to miss his deathblow.

As Artomis was about to stab his knife down into the Raichu before him, a blue ball flew from behind Zaphiel and blasted the Riolu away. Looking up to see who saved him, Zaphiel could only see the figure begin to charge another attack, blinding him in a blue hue. Once it was launched, it aimed at Darkrai and hit him hard in the chest. Once the blue glow was gone, Zaph noticed a taller blue and black figure dashing towards them.

"It's about time you showed up. Things have gotten pretty messy here." Trinity said, walking up to her partner. "You ready to kick some ass Karia?"

The female Lucario gave Trinity an odd look, "I thought we were just fighting a Darkrai, what is that kid doing attacking his own team?"

"Darkrai has taken control of him. The blade in his hand seems to be the trigger to this."

Karia let out a sigh as she watched the Riolu recover. "Any proof yet Trinity?"

Shaking her head, the Blaziken glanced over to Art as well. "No, sad to say. I still don't know about it though."

"Enough talk! You fools are not going to stop me! I shall take this a step further!" Darkrai lifted both hands and began to laugh as Artomis buckled over in pain.

"Stop that now!" Dashing forward, the Lucario jumped and put both paws ahead, firing off several Aura Spheres towards the Darkrai. It attempted to dodge the attack, but with so many spheres, eventually a few collided with him, interrupting his cast.

Breathing heavy, Artomis soon began to see again. He felt like he was in a bad nightmare, but knew the dream was real. He looked just ahead to see his friend, who he had knocked out. "...Zaphiel. I'm sorry." Forcing himself to stand, Artomis took a second to find where the Darkrai was and didn't waste any time. Before Darkrai could get control again, Artomis jumped forward and drove his blade deep into the flesh of the dark beast. The color of Darkrai paled greatly, making him look almost a gray color as it let out a roar of pain. Artomis felt as the warm blood leaked from the beast's chest and covered his paw. "Cyrus! Now's your chance! Get him while he's open!"

Lying on his stomach, Cyrus heard Art's call as forced himself up on his feet. He put his hands together and shot off a Psycho Slash as well as a Psybeam. They both hit their target, but with Artomis Being right on the enemy, he was also hit with the barrage of attacks.

Struggling to turn towards the big blast, Zaphiel watched as his best friend's limb body fell hard onto the ground below, followed shortly by the Darkrai. "Artomis, no!"

Both the Lucario and Trinity jumped at the name spoken. Karia stepped forward and lifted the Raichu off the ground. "What did you say?!"

"Hee hee, I guess you couldn't be kept in the dark forever! Oh well, a little late now, isn't it?" Standing before the Darkrai now was Ruby, who now had her Focus Band tied on her head and was holding a round object. She then swiftly turned to the severely injured Darkrai and jumped on top of its chest, forcing the green orb down its throat. "I hope this works. They're all yours, Master Trent!"

From above, a loud roar could be heard just before a large red Charizard fell before the two standing party members. It gave a coy smile as it gazed down at them. "It has been quite a while, has it not? Karia, Trinity, and Artomis all together again. Though it does look like your friend here has seen better days."

Karia stepped forward, "You bastard! Is this what you were trying to do the whole time?! This is what those science experiments on me and Artomis were for, isn't it?!"

Trent let out a small chuckle as he reached down and picked up the still Riolu. "Ah, you finally catch on. You were always the smart one of the group, Karia, I'm surprised it took you this long to figure that out." The blade fell out of Artomis' paw and landed at the Charizard's feet as the brute tossed him at Trinity and Karia, the small pup landing hard on the ground in front of them. "Here, have the brat back... But you won't survive long enough to get reacquainted!" Swiftly crouching down again, the Charizard also picked up the blade and held it in had. "Darkrai! Rise up and finish these pests off once and for all!"

Almost instantly after Trent called, the Darkrai soon obeyed and was back up, floating above the ground. Trent began to laugh wildly, which caused Ruby to as well. "Yes! It worked perfectly! He is mine to control!"

Trinity glared at the dancing Sableye. "Ruby... or should I say, Roberta of Team Synth! You sold this clan out! I can't believe I didn't catch it earlier!"

Karia turned her foot, starting to lose hope on the situation. "I'll make you bastards pay... I swear I will."

Grinning, Trent took a step forward, in which Darkrai followed his lead. "I wish you luck, you stupid bitch. How about this, I'll just get to the point!" He stretched his long neck ahead and spit a ball of flame towards the Lucario and threw the Peacekeeper into the center of the flame, almost guaranteeing it to pierce Karia.

Barely able to move, Art watched as the flame was coming closer to what seemed to be his only link to his past. His body flashed a light blue as he jumped up and used a Quick Attack to knock Karia away just before the large blast hit him in his back. He screamed as he felt the sharp blade pierce through him, just underneath his right shoulder blade and the fire soon engulfed his body, causing him to go silent.

The entire party had watched the actions before them, every single one was wide-eyed. Three had tears forming in their eyes as Artomis' body fell onto the ground once again. Blood was pouring out of the wound massively and his body was a solid black char, lying still on the ground. Karia collapsed next to her fallen Master and tried to hold back her tears. The last Top Ranger was now dead.


	11. Ch11 Inner Conflict

_**A/N: **_**I must apologize in advance for the short length of this chapter, but you'll like it. Lots of action, but a lot of story as well. Enjoy the chapter and please review! Once again, I don't own Pokémon, though one day I will save up enough money in my piggy bank and eventually buy Nintendo. Then I would, but I don't now. Anyway, enough of me. Get reading already!**

-

**Chapter 11 – Inner Conflict**

-

Time was at a complete standstill. Everything was covered in darkness, not a single light no matter where he looked. Artomis could hardly breathe let alone move, but his motivation to find out who that Lucario and Blaziken truly were forced him to try anything he could. _But what the hell am I going to do? I don't even know if I'm still alive. _

_"Oh, you are alive. Hanging by a thread, but alive." _Xatu formed in front of Artomis' sight, startling him a bit. "Now you have one of two options, first it that you die here, leaving your friends to fight this battle with this new enemy."

_Heh, yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Let's just destroy the world while we're at it. _

"Then I figure you'll accept the second option. In a few moments, you are going to have a very painful experience. This is going to help you recover once you re-enter the physical plane, so it is needed if you want to heal properly."

Letting out a chuckle, Art couldn't help but think of the prophecy he had read. _Yeah, I'm ready for anything you throw at me. Let's just do it. _

"I'm not the Pokemon doing the deed. I'm just here to tell you to accept the power that will be coming to you. There will be changes in everything from here, I suggest you all flee as soon as possible. This is a different battle than the one with Darkrai. This Trent seems to have even taken control of the Nightmare Demon, but what he plans to do with that darkness is unknown."

_So once I'm up, start running. Got it. Anything else I need to know before I enter hell again? _

Xatu showed a smile, "Yeah, start off with a walk when you first get back rather than a run. I shall be seeing you soon."

-

"Trinity, Raichu! I need you two to cover me, I've got an idea." Karia was knelt down next to Artomis' body and lifted him in her arms. "I'll need about two minutes."

Watching as Zaphiel dodged a Flamethrower, Trinity glared at the Lucario. "You can't be serious?! What if it doesn't work the same as in our world?"

"What choice do we have?! If he dies, there's no hope in our world! Just trust me on this! If this is him, I'll be fine."

After staring into each others eyes a moment, Trinity soon gave a nod and turned towards their foes. "We'll hold them off. You just be sure you come back alive."

"You too. We've got a lot to do when this is all over." Watching as the Blaziken gave a final nod, Karia jumped back at the same time her friend dashed forward, countering a Shadow Claw from Darkrai to the now awake Eevee. Little by little the team was regaining strength, she just needed to make the final touches. Once she was far out of combat, Karia grasped the blade the was still in the back of the critical Riolu and swiftly yanked the blade out of his flesh. She knelt down and gently placed Art on the ground, laying the blade close to his arm. She then positioned her paws towards his body and closed her eyes. "If I don't survive this... Just remember I've always cared..." With a single tear rolling down her cheek, the Lucario began to pulse her aura, channeling it into the target ahead of her. Feeling a surge of Aura leave her body, she soon began to feel weak and let out a small whine. "Master... Please forgive... Ah!"

-

"Do it now! Fire Blast!"

"Thunder!"

Both Trinity and Zaphiel released their attacks at the same time, the attacks crossing each other, which caught both Trent and Darkrai unaware. Both attacks landed hard and caused the large Pokemon to stumble. Quickly after Zaphiel's attack, he had to jump back to avoid a Fury Cutter attack from Ruby, who had snuck up from the side. "I knew there was something up with you the morning you tried to attack me!"

"Heh, what good is knowing that when you're about to get your ass beat? Come on little boy! You're no match for us."

"Zaphiel! Behind you!" The Raichu jumped up as soon as he heard Levinity's scream and watched as just below the tip of his tail a fireball shot past and blew into the wall.

Once he landed on the ground, Zaph turned towards the distant Ruby, cheeks sparking furiously. "You're mine, I don't care who tries to kill me, and you'll be dead be before anyone can throw an attack my way!" Jumping up, the Raichu released a Thunder attack at the traitor. _Come on, Artomis. We need ya out here... _

-

_Ah! Xatu! I... I think it's happening!_

"Stay calm, it is going to hurt, but don't reject the energy flowing through you."

A wave of pain began to flood through Artomis' being, at points getting so intense that he would start to white-out. It was defiantly worse than any of his normal head-aches, and he could hear Xatu continuing to speak words of encouragement, but the fire burning inside him overpowered the words. Just as he thought he was going to die from the torture, his mind went blank.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed he was standing in what seemed to be a blue cloud. There seemed to be no definitive shape, but then again, Art didn't know if he was even still alive.

"I could tell by your eyes... They're the same as the human you."

From his side, he turned and noticed the female Lucario from the battle before. "Are you saying you know me? I wish I could say the same to you, but I apparently had some kind of accident."

"Yeah, I heard everything from Trinity. I'm sorry to hear that you have no memory of your human life..." She sounded disappointed; it made Art a bit sad to know that he was missing something between the two of them. "Us being in this spot only proves one thing, that you are indeed the same Artomis that was my Master on our own world."

"How can you tell just by being here? What's so special about it?"

Karia looked down at her feet. "It's hard to explain, but with everything that's been going on, I'm sure you wouldn't be surprised. With how bad your injuries were, I had to use a forbidden ability known to only the Lucario race. Currently you are inside of my Aura, helping to rebuild your life force."

Closing his eyes again, Art tried to fight off the burning sensation that wad forming again, but soon stopped himself, remembering Xatu's words. "So you're using your Aura to heal me? Why would that be a forbidden art if it is a positive move?"

Looking back up, Karia's gaze locked onto Artomis. "Normally, the Lucario that uses an Aura Recovery... Shortly dies after the process."

-

"Kaltora! Grab Levinity and get out of here!" Trinity threw a Thunder Punch at the Charizard in front of her, landing the blow hard in his side. Trent stumbled over a bit, but then knocked her back with a Wing Attack. She swiftly jumped to her feet and dodged the Shadow Ball launched from Darkrai. Once she took in her surroundings, she saw Zaphiel ahead of her and dash towards him. "Kid, this is your time! Use Thunder Wave at the peak!"

Dodging an attack from Ruby, Zaphiel only caught half of what Trinity said, but before he could ask, she kicked him up high into the air. Forcing his eyes to open, Zaphiel fought the pain to find that he was above both Darkrai and Charizard. "That's it!" Feeling his cheeks flare, he unleashed the powerful electric current down towards his foes. As the bolt landed, Zaphiel smiled, but as he began to decline, that smile quickly faded. "Oh crap! This is gonna-"

As the Raichu neared impact, Levinity jumped and caught Zaphiel with a Baton Pass and switched places, causing herself to land hard on the floor while he watched from a few feet away. "...Ugh, you alright Zaphiel?"

"I'm great, but why the hell did you do that?! You were already injured!"

"Because... Well, I don't know what to call it, really. You've still got a fight to win, I won't fight Kaltora anymore and I'll go back." She looked liked she had tears in her eyes, but before he could tell, Ruby appeared to his side and he was forced to move. The Sableye gave chase to Zaph again, but Levinity wanted to get one more word in before she fled, "You better come back alive... I want to see you again."

Kaltora ran up to his friend, not sure if he was more surprised that she took a hit for another Pokemon or that she was still awake after that fall. "You know, if you like the guy, you should just tell him. Don't get beat up all out of shape for it."

Levinity couldn't help but let out a small giggle, "You know me all too well, but that's not my style. He'll come around eventually." Taking one final look at the battlefield, the Eevee watched as Trent was standing unscathed from Zaphiel's attack, but Darkrai seemed to be effected. _This is it, I hope they can do it. _

-

"Wait, so you could die because of this?! So why did you do it?!"

"...You were on the verge of death yourself, there was no other option. I would gladly give my life so that way you could live on. Back in our world, you did this very same thing to me once and cast Aura Recovery."

Artomis looked at the Lucario and gave an odd glance, "Didn't you say it was Lucario-specific? How could a human use it?"

"You were different. There was something done to you that-- Ah!" Karia took a step back as her body pulsed white a few times. "We don't have much time, but before we go, I want you to see something."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Close your eyes and clear your mind. I will do the rest."

Doing as he was instructed, almost as soon as he closed his eyes, a vision started to come into sight. There were people all around in a circle, mainly children and teenagers, but also a bunch of different Pokemon. Looking harder, he noticed that there also were several cracked eggs on the floor. His vision only looked around a little bit before focusing on a glowing form hidden in the back. It was a dim gold glow, and suddenly, he noticed he was moving towards it. There were cheers to the Riolu asking where it was going or doing, but it continued to ignore their calls.

He reached a wall and it seemed he may have even bumped into it, but noticed there was hole in the wall just off to his left. The vision followed his thoughts and stepped into the crevasse, looking up at the surprised boy staring down. He had long, brown hair and vibrant blue eyes, dressed in a red jacket and jeans while sitting crouched on the floor.

_"Hey there, I'm Artomis! Did anyone see you come in here?" _The form Art currently possessed gave a nod, and the human him let out a sigh. _"Nothing is ever easy. Guess I knew they would figure it out. Guess everyone's got to face the music at some point. What's your name, anyway?" _

After a moment, Art watched as the human looked closer at him, putting a hand to his chin. _"I think I understand, you're Karia, right?" _Art felt himself nod. _"Nice name. Well, Karia, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you just got me in a bunch of trouble." _

Artomis soon felt himself get drawn out of the vision and found himself sitting in darkness. Once again, several thoughts were running through his head, but there was one that stuck out most. He remembered the human's face he stared at, wondering if that was truly who he was. Studying the image in his mind, he looked at the eyes to see the reflection coming from there. He noticed that it was staring down at a Riolu, which must have been the very same Karia that had helped him. _Karia... I'm sorry... _

-

Falling backwards, the Lucario's back slammed against the wall as she was trying to finish the memory, but something forced her back. After she opened her eyes, she noticed that the Riolu's body was covered in a black ball of light. She was really worried on what this could mean. "Come on, don't quit on me now! With all we've been through, you better not die on me!"

-

"You don't know who you're dealing with! I will kill you all!" Jumping into the air, the massive Charizard landed just before Zaphiel and swung his tail, knocking the electric Pokemon to the side. Trent then turned to Trinity and began to chuckle as he took a single step closer. "You're all alone now! Where are your friends when you need them most, birdie?"

Leaping back, Trinity avoided the Slash attack from the large fire type and countered with a Fire Blast to the large foe's head. It wasn't long before he shook the intense heat off and was back to his pursuit along with the Sableye. She looked over and was a little surprised to see Darkrai motionless, but soon turned back to the situation at hand. _Damn it all! Even with support, this guy is just too tough! _Watching as the dragon moved closer, Trinity was surprised when she watched a blue ball fly hard into the stomach of Trent. As he landed on his back, the Blaziken turned to where the attack originated. "Karia! Perfect timing! How's-"

"Grab both the Raichu and Kadabra and get out of here. I can handle this by myself."

Trinity stared at her partner grimly, "You mean... He didn't, did he?"

"I shall bring him back too. Artomis is... not doing well, but he's alive for the moment."

Giving a nod, the Blaziken made sure that Trent was down before rushing to the fallen Cyrus and lifted him onto her shoulder. Over a few feet was the knocked-out Zaphiel, who had in fact impressed Trinity with how well he fought. She lifted him onto her open shoulder and turned back towards the Lucario, watching as Trent started to recover. "Alright, he's all yours. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Watching as Trinity fled out of the tunnel, Karia stood about 30 feet away from the Charizard, who was now back on his feet. "You're a fool, Trent. You will never have your way as long as we're around."

Trent gave a cold stare, and then burst out into laughter. "We? I believe you are now all alone in this fight now, and even though Darkrai is down, Roberta and I are plenty enough to take you down."

"...No, you're wrong. I'm not alone. Though Artomis is not what he used to be, he is still with me every step of the way." Karia took a step back and tucked her arms to her side, a blue sphere forming between her paws.

"Are you sure about that? Arty didn't have the slightest clue on who you were!" Ruby casually walked up and leaned against the Charizard's leg, a smile covering her face. "I mean, he isn't who you think he is anymore."

Tossing a glare to the Sableye, the Lucario then launched the sphere forward. As she watched the sphere, she felt a swift breeze and watched as a golden sphere rushed by her and molded with her own attack. Forming a large dark green sphere, the combined attack flew directly into the chest of the dragon, causing it to fall to the ground. Turning around, Karia stared wide-eyed at the source of the attack. "How did you..."

"This isn't a time to talk. We need to leave while I still have enough energy to move."

-

"Where's Art?! Oh man, did you guys forget about him or something?!" Not even a moment after waking back up, Zaphiel had really begun to worry about the fate of his friend. He had suddenly started to regret sitting up as fast as he did, a light headed feeling tingling through his body as he started to notice his surroundings.

"Calm down and stop struggling! I need to get you finished so I can help the others that were injured." Faith was holding onto a bloody Raichu tail, trying to patch up the wound. Looking around the hospital quarters of the Guild, she let out a sigh as she noticed the unconscious Cyrus. "Must have been one hell of a fight to knock him out cold."

"And that's just the beginning." Walking into the room, Trinity set down the medical supplies that Faith had sent her to get from the storage room. "Artomis and Karia are still trapped in that mess."

Knocking the Chansey back, Zaphiel dashed up to the Blaziken and struggled to stand, but was determined to ask his question. "Who the hell are you anyway? I mean, you and that Karia just show up out of nowhere, and when you try to help, you seem to bring even more trouble!"

Trinity was not surprised about his accusation, nor was she surprised at how upset he was. "I will explain everything once they return from the cave. I just need you to trust in us for now until Artomis gets back here in the Guild. He will need to hear the same story to fully understand who he is."

-

"You think you can just leave like all the rest? Ha! There's no way I'm letting you go when there is still so much to do!" Trent was once again on his feet, but when he looked ahead, he saw something unexpected. "...What? How the hell did he turn into a Lucario?!"

Staring at the dark form in front of her, Karia noticed he had the Peacekeeper in his left paw. His fur was completely black and the stripes were a navy blue, really enhancing the bright blue eyes he had. Both arms still had the claw scars, left being crimson and right a gold. "Are you alright? I'm surprised you're even awake right now."

"I think I'll live. Once I get used to my new body, things will be much better. We need to go and I was given a last resort item for just in case."

Once Trent noticed Artomis pull something from his charred pouch on his hip, he released a Flame Blast at the two, but before the blast hit, the black Lucario had used his badge on Karia, causing her to vanish in a flash of white. At the same moment, Art's body flashed a blue for a moment as a smile formed on his face. The blast hit him singly, the fire knocked him back into the wall behind him as the fire spread out. As the Lucario lay still on the floor, Ruby quickly ran up to investigate the outcome. "Is the brat dead? If not, grab him and the Darkrai. We need to put are next step into motion."

Once Roberta was close, Art's eyes shot open and he reached forward, placing his palm on her head and releasing a powerful blast from his palm. The explosion of gold sent Ruby flying to the side, causing her to land hard on her back. The Lucario then reached to the sand below him and held his paw out above his head, a smile forming again. "Don't worry, we'll find you soon."

"Oh no you don't!" As Art moved his arm, a Flamethrower left the massive jaw of the Charizard. Before the flame even came close, the badge was placed on him and he disappeared. After the flames died down, Trent cursed once he noticed the spot before him was empty. "We may have lost one, but we can work with the Darkrai. Get him back to the lab and start preparing the team. Not only will we invade the Guild, but we'll test our prototype in the act."

-

"We really need to change the location of our Badge Base! This room is filled past capacity!" Faith was the first to walk up to Karia as she formed next to the bed that held Cyrus. "Are you hurt? More importantly, can you stand and walk? I'm completely out of beds."

Karia looked around, completely surprised and almost jumped at the sight at the Chansey, but was very relieved once she saw a few friendly faces. "No, I'm fine. Where am I?"

"You're at the Twilight Brigade main base. If you're here, Artomis should be coming. In other words, I'm going to need you to move."

"Uhh... Sure." She stepped forward, not really understanding what had happened. Once she saw Trinity next to the Raichu, the Lucario gave her a nod. Once her team mate replied with thumbs up, there was a small bell from behind her. Turning around, she saw a lightly singed Lucario lying on the floor. "Artomis!"

Everyone who was paying attention went silent and looked at the newest change in shock. He slowly sat up and looked around at the faces, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, I'm here. Exhausted, confused, but even worse, starving as all hell."

Zaphiel ran up, almost running into Faith as he smiled. He was about eye level with him as he sat on the ground. "Good to see ya, man. Don't know why you're so damn tall, but I'll live with it."

"We're going to need to get him on a bed." Karia stepped up close and knelt down next to him.

Zaphiel gave her a confused look, "He's fine. Hell, I'm sure he'd be fine- Oh crap!" As he spoke, the Lucario's eyes rolled back and his body fell into Karia's arms as he passed out. "What's wrong with him? I didn't do that when I evolved."

"It's because of how I healed him. It's a miracle he was awake long enough to get back here... Ah..." She felt herself start to feel weak, losing her grip on Artomis and falling to the floor beside him. She heard Zaphiel and Faith talking, but couldn't make out the words. _I should have known this would happen... At least we're all alive. _


	12. Ch12 Past Before Your Eyes

_**A/N: **_Alright, I know it's been a while, but this story is not dead! I will keep it alive no matter what I do! Plus, it's really good and I can't stop thinking about it, I was just really stuck for a while. Next few chapters should be up quick, though, seeing as how I have almost the next three done, lol! Anyway, enjoy, please review~! Oh, I don't own PMD in any way, but I do love the series!

**PMD The Twilight Brigade Chronicles  
Chapter Twelve - Past Before Your Eyes**

"Huh? Oh, hey! He's waking up!"

His vision slowly fading into view, Artomis soon could see Zaphiel leaning over him. The Lucario began to sit up when he felt an impulse stop him.

_"Take it easy, Artomis. The effects of the revival will hinder you for a while."_

It was Karia. He knew he should have listened to her, but he sat up anyway. He heard both Zaphiel and Karia say something, but he blacked out for a moment and couldn't understand them.

"Bro, you alright? I think we lost you for a sec."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Listening to his new voice, he couldn't tell if they would believe his lie. Looking around, he saw Faith and Trinity on the other side of his bed. "Did everyone make it back alright?" Trinity gave a nod and that helped Art to relax a bit. "Good... How are the injured, Faith?"

"You and the new girl are the last. Everyone else has been treated, but you two just slept away. She woke up just moments before you did. I really think-"

"Where is she?" Interrupting Faith, Artomis almost regretted not listening to her, but he had a feeling there wasn't much time left.

"I'm right here."

Turning slightly to his right, Artomis took his first good look at her in normal lighting. She had bright red eyes and her fur was blue, but it looked a little darker than a normal Lucario's. As he stood up, he noticed that they were practically the same height. "I know your voice, but who are you? How do you know who I am?"

She turned her gaze to the Blaziken nearby, who was walking up to them. "Want me to go get Cyrus? If we're going to do this, might as well have everyone involved here."

"Then you might as well continue, I am here."

Turning towards the opening door, Artomis gave a smile when not only Cyrus, but Xatu walked into the room as well. The feathered friend was quick to inspect him, but was all smiles in the process. "Ah, so you are quite different now, I see. I did not expect the switch of color, but I have no control of fate."

Artomis gave an odd look, but Cyrus soon forced his way in front of Xatu and also looked at him. "Are you feeling well? Don't worry about his babble right now."

"…Yeah, I'm good enough to be alive. Weird to look down to Zaphiel or being eye-level with you, but that's something I'll get used to."

The Kadabra replied with a small smile. "Change is something we all have to cope with. We all just have our own ways of doing it." He stepped back and waved his hand, pulling up a chair beside him from halfway across the room. Soon, several chairs formed around the open area and Cyrus' grin went wider. "Please sit. If we are going to talk about this, we're going to be here a while. Anyone is free to leave if they wish, but if you want to know the next move for the Brigade, I suggest you stay."

"Well, I'll just go to other duties then. My job never changes anyway." Faith said with a grunt. "I'll talk to you later, Cyrus. I need a pay raise."

As the Chansey left the room, Cyrus could actually be heard chuckling. "You know, she's right. I think it is about time for one." Everyone began to sit down, but Cyrus then pointed at Artomis, who was getting up. "You lie back down. I need you rested and if what Karia told me of this 'revival' is true, then you're not going anywhere but on that bed."

Artomis understood why Cyrus was ordering him to do that, but he couldn't help but feel angered on how no one thought he was strong enough to handle it. "No, I'm fine. I'll sit like the rest of you guys."

The Kadabra shook his head. "No, you don't understand. After we get our answers from these two ladies here, we will need you to fall asleep again."

"And why is that? So you can take more of my Aura?" He felt his head begin to pulse. He began to even wonder himself on why he felt so aggressive. Lifting his paw to his head, he inhaled deep and closed his eyes, trying to gather his bearings. "…Maybe you're right. I don't feel well." After a moment, he turned to the close bed and slowly made his way back to it, sitting on the side. He wanted to be sure he was awake for what Karia and Trinity had to say.

Zaphiel was looking at Art worried, but soon let out a sigh and looked at Cyrus. "So, what's first on the agenda?"

Trinity stood up slowly. "That would be us."

Following the Blaziken's move, Karia stood next to her and let out a sigh. "What she means is we're here to explain what is really going on around here. I know you guys have problems of your own, but now that Team Synth is involved, it's even worse."

"So you know them…?" Artomis muttered under his breath. He was still really in shock that he had finally met Pokemon that knew _something_ about him.

He watched as Karia turned towards him and gave him a nod. "Yeah, and you did too. I'll get to that part in a minute. First, We need to explain who you really are."

The Blaziken reached into a pouch at her side and pulled something out. "You see, hun. You were human before, that much you know, but in your home, you were something called a Top Ranger."

Everyone stared back at them in confusion. Everyone but Xatu. Karia grabbed the object from Trinity and placed it in Artomis' paw. Taking a look at the object, Artomis really didn't understand. It looked like a glove with a mechanical attachment at the end, with what looked like veins going into the fingers of the device. He gave an odd look to the Lucario before him, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I know it might fit weird with your paw, but try to put it on. This is what you used to use to befriend hundreds of several different kinds of Pokemon."

He gave a nod and looked down at the object once more. He held it tight in his left paw as he struggled to fit it on his right. "Did I use it on you two?"

Trinity gave a laugh. "You've had to use it on me once, but we were friends _long_ time before that!"

Karia shook her head, though. "You may have, but I never have been. You refused to use it on me, seeing as how I was your first. Just like when you refused to put us into Pokeballs." After Artomis had the item on as best as he could, Karia walked up close and fitted it to where it would even work. "Alright, I want you to keep this on for a while and play with it. You'll remember how it works soon enough."

He gave a nod, not really sure if he understood what was going on. "Alright, so I was a Top Ranger. How did a human become a Pokemon and lose his memory about everything?"

Trinity let out another laugh, "Always straight to the point! Ah, you never changed inside, did you Art?" She soon sat back down and crossed her legs and her arms behind her head. "You see, we're not completely sure yet ourselves, but somehow Team Synth did something to you and when you appeared in this realm, you changed."

"That's our _guess_." Karia intervened. She soon let out a sigh and reached into one of the bags at her side. "It would be easier to show you than explain." When she pulled her paw back out, she held onto three small crystals. "These are called Time Flowers. Over time, they are said to absorb images of the past and once you activate it, you can see what it has witnessed. These are Time flowers that we found in one of our adventures and we were able to modify them to where we can use our Aura to send our own memories into them. I have three memories here I would like to show you all. They're not complete, however… I really can't explain why."

Zaphiel sat intently at the edge of his seat. "Finally, I get to see what everyone else has been worried about. Let's see um!"

Karia gave a nod and placed the first Flower on the ground, Artomis feeling himself lean closer to it as she knelt beside it. Soon there was a flash in the room and the entire area changed. They no longer sat in the Hospital Wing of the Brigade, but a different Hospital. In the center of the room lay a boy strapped onto a table with several scientists around him. One of them had just poked something into him and he watched as the small tube that stemmed off that began to fill with a crimson coating.

_"How's the project coming?"_ He heard from one of the white coated figures, who was working on a standing table with nothing on it.

_"We're almost done extracting now."_

_"Good, bring the bitch in."_

A moment later, Artomis watched as two more scientists came in through a set of doors. They were holding onto Karia by her arms, her struggling the entire way to the standing table as they began to mount her up onto it. _"Alright, let's get this over with."_

There was another bright flash. They were all standing in the same room, but this time Karia was passed out on her table and the human was struggling on the table, but only there was a new human over the table, untying the restraints. _"What the hell did they do to you guys? Artomis! It's me, Xavior! Calm down!"_

Once the free human looked up, he seemed to let out a sigh and just fall back over, his body randomly twitching at times. He watched at the red clothed human jumped over the table and began to free Karia from her hold. _"We need to get out of here quick! Come on! Wake up!"_

Another flash. This time, they were standing in a heavily thick forest. They watched as the Xavior human ran along the path up to them with a limping Karia close behind. Xavior tripped in the middle of the path and dropped Artomis hard onto the ground as he fell, Karia coming up close and kneeling down. _"I'm alright, come on!"_

Before he could even stand up, a group of several different Pokemon appeared from the dense trees and surrounded the three. Karia was quick to jump into the air and shoot a barrage of Aura Sphere's into the ground around the humans, knocking all the Pokemon away. _"…Thanks Karia."_ The human said getting to his feet and hefting Artomis over his shoulder again. _"We need to go back to the Ranger Union. Need to see if you guys are alright."_

-

The vision disappeared as quick as it came, all eyes on the purple crystal flower that lay on the ground. Artomis couldn't take his eyes off of it. It all seemed so familiar to him. He couldn't remember that it happened, but it felt right.

The female Lucario pulled away the first gem and placed the second one in its place. She noticed that Zaphiel had raised his hand to ask something, but she just held up her paw. "Save all questions till the end. You might get your answers by watching." He once again knelt down and placed her paw on the gem, the room once again fading before their eyes in a bright flash.

They were now sitting in a big building, with Xavior pacing around outside a door and an Alakazam hovering beside it. _"Damnit, How long does this take?!"_ As soon as he said it, an old man stepped out of the room behind him. _"Ah! Prof. Hastings! How are they?!"_

_"I believe they are well… Though there is something strange."_

_"What? What do you mean? Is something wrong with them?"_

The old man cleared his throat. _"Well, after a few tests, it seems as though both Artomis and Karia now have two different types of blood. At first, Artomis' body rejected the blood, but it soon accepted it after you got them here."_

_"How the hell is he even alive?! I thought a human couldn't live with a Pokemon's blood!"_

_"That's what we're trying to figure out. Right now, the two need rest and we cannot do any more until then, or we risk killing them ourselves."_

Xavior gave a sigh. _"Fine, but let me know when anything comes up."_

As the old man walked back into the room, Xavior walked up to the Alakazam. "You ready for some action, Spoons? We're going to find out what Team Synth did to those guys before the damn doctors here even have a clue."

There was a flash. There in front of the doorway now was a human girl with a Quilava at her side, standing next to the Professor. Soon, there was Xavior running in from the side with a few pieces of paper in hand. _"You guys won't believe this! They planned on making these two into weapons!"_

Hastings turned swiftly to the boy. _"What? Let me see that!"_ Grabbing the papers, the old man soon looked up with a blank expression. _"I guess they really are what their name states. Synthesis of a Human and Pokemon and to brainwash them both, creating them for tools of war. I can see mixing a blood of a Human with a Pokemon, but why the opposite as well?" _

Xavior shrugged. _"I don't get what they're even after in the first place. Now while you figure that out, I'm going to see my friend! Come on, Nyx!" _

Watching a Xavior ran into the other room, the red haired girl and her Pokemon were quick to follow.

-

Karia had replaced the second Time Flower with the final one, and in this quick moment, Artomis looked at the faces of the Pokemon around him. Cyrus, Zaphiel, Xatu, Levinity, Rosiv, and Kaltora were all staring at him. He felt a bit embarrassed, but soon began to focus again once there was the familiar flash around them.

This time they sat in a cave. In the center stood three humans. One male and two female, all three wearing the same white coats as they saw before, but only these had a strange 'S' symbol on them. They looked like they were standing just before an archway that was glowing several different colors on the inside. He turned and looked at what seemed to be the entrance to the cave and there stood Artomis, Karia, Xavior, Spoons, the girl Art thought was Nyx, and her Quilava.

_"Give it up, Trent! You're finished! Call off Team Synth already!"_ Art heard his human form yell. He saw as in his hand was the same device was on his paw and let out a small sigh.

_"Like hell! We've only just begun, boy!"_ He swiftly turned and threw something at them, causing an explosion to occur and made both Xavior and Nyx fly back, their Pokemon rushing to help them.

_"You bastard!"_ He heard himself yell as his human form dashed forward, throwing a punch at the supposed Trent. The man took the hit full in the cheek and stumbled over, but was quick to follow up with an upper-cut and knock Artomis off his feet.

_"Follow me if you want to stop me, kid!"_ Trent said, turning around. His two helpers ran into the colors first, and he stood just outside the arch with a smile as Artomis was recovering and rushing towards him. _"Show me your true power! I want to see how successful my experiment really was!"_ taking a step forward, the large form of Trent disappeared into the archway.

Watching as he ran up to the arch, he saw as Karia grabbed his human hand and held him back. _"What are you doing?! You can't go in there!"_

_"I've messed up big this time, Karia. I won't let anyone else suffer from my mistakes! Just trust me, I'll set things right… I swear it."_

_"Don't go! Oh please, don't do it!"_

_"…I'm sorry… but I have to do this… I will always…"_

_"NO! Artomis!" _Watching as the human forced his grip out of Karia's hand, he saw as he jumped into the colored haze. Karia's form had tears streaming down her eyes, but soon Trinity had walked up and knelt down next to the Lucario. She looked up from the ground and swiftly stood up, almost knocking the Blaziken over._ "I'm going in too."_

_"What?! You can't! You don't know what's even in there!"_ After looking at the gaze the Lucario had, Trinity soon gave a nod. _"…Alright, but I'm coming with you."_ There was a small yellow flash from the arch and Karia and Trinity gazed at it. The inside swirl of colors had begun to shrink. _"We need to go! It's now or never!"_

-

After Karia had picked up the final crystal, Artomis stared blankly at her. _The last memory… That's the same as the first one I ever saw._ Looking around the room again, Artomis still saw as all eyes were on him. He guessed that they expected him to say something, but he had no clue what to even think. "…So from that last memory, is that how we ended up here?"

Karia gave a nod. "Yes, though we are not entirely sure where this place is. It looks a lot like the area we came from, but there are quite a few differences as well."

"…And if I followed Trent in here to finish him off, Ruby must have been one of the women at his side." A thought triggered in his head. "…And she knows the exact location of the guild! We need to get out of here before she brings Team Synth here!"

Xatu held up a wing. "No worries, friend. I have already seen to that while you were asleep. Take a look outside."

Artomis was confused for a moment, but he soon turned to his right to look out of a close-by window. He stared outside and was surprised to see a wide plain being drenched by a rainstorm instead of several trees. "…We moved? But how did you move the entire castle?!"

Xatu gave a smile and patted Cyrus on the back. "It's only what happens when you get two powerful Psychics together for a Teleport. I must say, it was quite difficult, but we are quite far from our original location."

Zaphiel sighed. "Yeah, this place never seems to stop raining, either."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Artomis let out the first smile in a while. "That's good."

Cyrus was now standing and looked over to Karia and Trinity before gazing back at Artomis. "If you do not have any questions for them, I suggest we put you to sleep as soon as possible."

With a sigh, the black Lucario gave a nod. "I have plenty of questions, but they can wait. Do what you must so that way I can try and get back to a normal life."

Xatu could be heard to the side with a small chuckle. "Your life has never been normal, but we'll see what we can do to get as close as we can."


End file.
